


Don't You Know That I'm a Moon in Daylight?

by wildholly



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 18th Century, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Apocalypse, Businessman Harry, Dark, M/M, Please be nice, Rimming, Teacher Louis, Vampire Harry, Vampire Liam, Vampire Louis, Vampire Niall, Vampire Zayn, Vampires, Violence, trigger warning theres some violence in the first few chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 58,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildholly/pseuds/wildholly
Summary: Prompt 79Louis and Harry fell in love in the 18th century, Louis wanted Harry to convert him into a vampire, but he ended up resenting Harry for it. Fast forward to our modern days, they haven’t seen each other since then, but one day they meet again through a mutual friend. Harry was bitter for a long time, but he accepted that being angry wouldn't erase the fact that Louis was the love of his life. He wanted to court and spoil Louis like in their original time period, but Louis avoided him every time Harry tried to reconnect. Happy ending!
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 66
Kudos: 211
Collections: Bottom Louis Fic Fest 2020, 💌





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'll try to make this short. This is my first fic - ever! With that in mind, please be nice; I'm still learning! I want to say I quick thank you to my lovely beta for this fic, kaci (@softloubabie)! This fic wouldn't have been possible without her so pls go give her a kiss if you enjoyed. Also, if you enjoyed, feel free to come and let me know: :-)
> 
> Title comes from the song "Creepin" by Hayley Williams. 
> 
> Twitter: @bottomloulou  
> Tumblr: @bottomlwt
> 
> <3!

_ 1795 _

It all started in London, England. It was a busy day on the streets, as always and somewhere, the clock hit nine a.m. People were becoming late for work. Men rode by on their horses, feet making clopping sounds on the cobblestone. A snooty old man shouted angrily at a beggar in the street, creating a cycle of never-ending sound. Just another regular day in the city. 

Melissa Jennings, a young lady of only twenty-five, had managed to just escape the traffic of people wandering around, just a street away from the local grocer. She had a long night with the children; she was a little sluggish, admittedly. But she would power through today, get a nice night’s sleep tonight, and then she’d be back on her feet. 

_ THUMP! _

One second Melissa had been daydreaming about the beautiful night’s rest she’d get tonight, and the next, she had collapsed against the hard, unforgiving cobblestone street, somehow managing not to take anyone down with her. 

Pedestrians of all kinds and even people passing by on their horses rushed toward the shocking scene. A crowd had begun to form. There were yells to make sure she wasn’t injured, take her home to her husband and children, rush her to the hospital, anything! 

Melissa had yet to move from her position; her forehead may as well have been glued to the cobblestone. Through all the panic, no one seemed to notice that Melissa had seemingly not been physically harmed at all. With her head resting nicely and her mouth hanging slightly open, one could imagine she could’ve been sleeping. 

A scream was heard further off - away from the scene of the accident. The crowd turned to watch in horror as at least ten more pedestrians proceeded to pass out; some into each other, some into a local street seller, others into unsuspecting streetlights, and some even off of their horses. The panic that had already settled into the air grew tenfold. 

With no one remaining by her side, Melissa stirred slightly. No one seemed to notice; they had either fled the scene, preferring  _ not  _ to get run over by any now panicking horses, thank you very much, or running around from person to person, checking up on their unconscious bodies, scratching their heads. 

Melissa’s mind wasn’t on why she had suddenly blacked out and fallen, or why she didn’t appear to have any injuries of any kind from the collision of her head against hard ground, however. 

No. 

All she could think about was how she was.

So.

_ Hungry. _

_ And all those screaming humans looked delicious.  _

  
  
  


One Month Later

Louis walked gingerly through the forest, watching his footsteps closely, careful not to step on anything that would make too much noise. While he was new to this style of living, he knew what he had to do to survive. 

That day in the city had changed Louis, a lot. Only twenty years old, and here he was, out living in the woods, fending for himself, with only a rucksack on his back. And his family…

He heard a shrub shake with the sound of slight movement, and stopped in his tracks, listening. Silence, for a minute. Two. With a glance over his shoulder, he kept going. 

Everything changed that day. Whatever had happened to those poor pedestrians… they weren’t themselves afterwards. They weren’t…  _ human _ _. _ Louis hated to think back on that day. But, with many more trees to pass until he found his shelter for the moment, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander…

_ As the sole man of the house, it was Louis’ duty to go out, find a profession, and make some money so that his mother and his three poor younger sisters could survive. Their father… well, their father no one really liked to talk about, or even think about, really.  _

_ A week after the youngest, Abigail, had been born, their scoundrel of a father had fled, leaving Louis to be in charge, the man of the house. He preferred not to think of the day when Abigail would be all grown up, and wonder why she didn’t have a father. Nobody in the town had managed to find out that their father had left them, yet. They were a quiet little family, not friends with many. But if any of their nosy neighbors were to find out… the talk! They’d become a laughing stock! Outcasts! _

_ And so Louis awoke early each morning to head to his day job; a shoe shiner in busy London. It didn’t pay much, but little was better than none. Judith, Louis’ mother, and all the kids were supposed to clean out the barn this morning while Louis was gone. They said they would sell some eggs or milk to make a little more cash. While it was a little embarrassing to have to go to such lengths to scrape up a little more cash, they had to do what they had to do. And, besides, the neighbors didn’t have to know.  _

_ With such little money, Louis had to walk to his place of work. It would be a long two miles… _

_ 9 a.m. A clock ticked on somewhere. Meanwhile, Louis was down on his knees on the cold pavement, shining an elderly gentleman’s shoe like his life depended on it. He had to work hard if he wanted a hefty tip, after all. Then he heard the first scream.  _

_ Louis looked up from his work, startled. This was the classier part of town, where men would walk around in their fancy suits and spit on people like Louis. To hear such a ruckus was… unusual.  _

_ The elderly gentleman whose shoe he was supposed to be working on gently cleared his throat. Louis knocked himself out of his confusion and got back to work.  _

_ “Apologies, sir,” he mumbled.  _

_ There was a beautiful beat of silence. All was at peace, for that moment.  _

_ But if Louis had been startled by the first burst of sound, he never could’ve prepared himself for what was about to happen next.  _

_ Horrid screams of terror along with the angry neighs of disturbed horses flooded the street, making Louis jump once again. He looked to the elderly gentleman for instruction. Is it nothing, or should we see what the ruckus is all about? Without acknowledging Louis, or even looking in his direction, the man exited Louis’ little corner, walking slowly toward the main street.  _

_ Louis took that as a cue that he could stem his curiosity and look for himself. Unlike the last time, the screams of terror had not stopped. _

_ “RUUUUUUUUN!” he heard someone shout.  _

_ Louis couldn’t stop himself anymore; he ran to the main street and was dumbstruck at what he saw.  _

_ The entire street was mayhem. People running in every which direction, upturning fruit baskets, therefore causing others to slip and fall on the hard pavement. And even through all of this chaos, Louis didn’t even know what had caused it.  _

_ Louis caught a nearby friendly looking man by the arm. “Excuse me, sir,” he shouted over the roaring noises of the cityfolk, “but what has happened? Why is everyone acting like this?” _

_ The man’s eyes widened comically. “Why, son, a new plague seems to have found its way to London, but worse than one we’ve ever seen before! I suggest you run, young sir, run far from here before it gets to your family as well!” And with that, he ran back off into the crowd. _

A plague?  _ Louis thought to himself. He didn’t think he would have anything to worry about, but he had seemed so afraid, so worried. He’d better check on his family back at home, just in case. Not like he’d be getting any business with the state of the city today, anyways.  _

_ What started off as a trot to get back home soon progressed into him running along with the rest of the city folk. The run back seemed to take ages longer than the walk up.  _

_ - _

_ Louis burst through the door of their little house. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs.  _

_ “Mum?” he called out. No response.  _

_ “Barbara?” he called out again, louder this time. He began to search the house. No one in the kitchen. No one in the living room.  _

_ “Cassie?” he shouted, slamming open each of their respective rooms. No one there.  _

_ “Abigail? Anyone?!” _

_ Louis had come back exactly where he started in the doorway. But even if they were sick… they would’ve been home, wouldn’t they? Where could they have gone?  _

_ Louis sucked in a sharp breath when he suddenly remembered. Their barn. He’s never run faster than he had at that moment.  _

_ Louis threw open the heavy barn doors, heart beating loudly in his chest. The only way for light to come into the vast barn was on a sunny day; there was but one tiny window in the corner, not even useful enough to be able to look through. In that moment, Louis wished they had just splurged and bought a bigger window.  _

_ The entire room was bathed in black; it was impossible for Louis to see anything.  _

_ “Barb?” he didn’t have to shout for her to hear if she was indeed in here; it echoed all the way through the darkness. There was no response. Nonetheless, Louis had to check for himself. He began his journey into the straw-covered floor. _

_ “Cassie?” his footsteps crunched softly on each step.  _

_ “Abigail?” he could’ve sworn he heard some sort of moan. _

_ He had reached the middle of the barn. The only sound he could hear was the sound of his own heavy breathing. A shadowy lump grunted, moving slightly.  _

_ “Mum?” he breathed.  _

_ He moved slowly up to the lump. Up close, he was able to decipher who it was. Barbara, the eldest of his younger sisters. But something was off; she didn’t look right. Long, red scars adorned her face, as if she had just been in a fight with someone wielding a knife. She looked deathly pale; if Louis’ eyes weren’t deceiving him, he’d say she looked as white as a ghost, except for around her eyes, which were tinted a light pink.  _

_ Louis could feel tears welling up in his eyes. What had happened to her? He attempted to prop her up in his arms; her head was lying at an awkward angle on the hard ground.  _

_ Barbara seemed to sense that someone was in contact with her. Her lip began to snarl, and her body twitched, although her eyes remained closed. Louis lied her back down on the ground. She seemed to relax a little more, though she continued to twitch, as she was doing when Louis had first entered the room.  _

_ Through Louis’ careful examination of Barbara, he hadn’t even noticed the shadow creeping up from behind him. He only noticed when a pair of icy cold, pale white hands wrapped themselves around his neck.  _

_ In a sheer moment of panic, Louis froze. As the air began to escape his lungs, he held out for Barb’s hand, grasping it tightly in his own, wanting some sort of memory of his family, knowing this was the last time he would ever see her again. _

_ In Louis’ last moment, he dug his nails into Barb’s palm. With a snarl, her eyes opened; she had awakened.  _

_ Louis gasped and let out a short shriek. Though all of her scars and physical changes had shocked him, he had not been prepared for this; Barb’s usual chocolate brown eyes had changed to a bright ruby red.  _

_ Surprised by Louis’ sudden reaction, the hands around his neck loosened. Temporarily freed, Louis crawled on his knees as far away as he could, up against the wall next to the entrance. It took a moment before he realized that he wasn’t his family’s target anymore. He turned to watch in horror at what he witnessed.  _

_ The ice cold, pale hands that had been around his neck… had been his mothers. Her usual neat black hair was disheveled, blood gushed from her mouth, and it looked as though a few of her teeth had been knocked out. If Louis had thought the scars on Barbs’ face were bad, his mum’s were positively horrifying.  _

_ His mum and Barb were now fighting ferociously; he now knew where all of those scars must’ve come from. Through all of the scratches, kicking, and biting, Louis knew he had to leave. There was no love left in either of their eyes. He knew it was only a matter of time before both of their focus came back to him, and they would try to kill him once again. He didn’t know what those things were or what had happened to them, but they weren’t his once loving family.  _

_ With tears silently dripping out of his eyes, Louis slipped silently from the scene, quiet as a mouse. He knew there wasn’t much time left. Taking time to only slip a few necessities into a bag, he fled the house, only looking back once, when he had reached the entrance to the woods.  _

_ With one final tear escaping his eye, he turned and ran into the woods as fast as he could. If there was one safe space left in this damn city, it had to be the woods, where the only enemy was nature itself.  _

_ __ _

The woodland by Louis’ old home wasn’t as beautiful as it seemed, sometimes. Especially in a life or death scenario. 

The woods were dense with thick trees everywhere at every turn. It was difficult to navigate at first; it took some getting used to. Every once in a while, Louis would get hit in the face with a tree branch or trip over tree roots. He’s humble enough to admit. 

That first night was the worst though. Emotions at an all time high, with nowhere to run or hide. After much exploring and running around in circles, Louis managed to find a small cave just big enough for his small frame. While it wasn’t much, and didn’t keep him warm in rainstorms, it kept him dry, and made him feel safer than just sleeping out in the open.

The days brought cold rain, and the nights were bitter cold. With no prior hunting experience, Louis had to fend on the small rations of food he had brought with him the first few days. After those ran out, though, it was time to get serious.

Louis had retained a little knowledge from his days as a student. He remembered that dandelions were edible, and crossed his fingers on every wild berry that he found. He had been working on making a knife out of tree bark; he wanted to learn to skin a woodland creature eventually. He hadn’t had anything filling in what seemed like ages. 

It had only been a little more than a month since Louis had distanced himself from society and found his temporary shelter, but he had already developed some sort of a routine. 

Louis would awake each morning around dawn, attempt to camouflage his little cave into the woods by using plenty of twigs and leaves so that no one would steal it from him, and then make his way into the dense shrubs and trees, scourging for his breakfast. After he found enough that would help him survive another day, he would head back to his little cave and dine out. Once he ate what little he had, that was when the real work of the day started. 

He knew he couldn’t spend the rest of his life in the small little cave that he was in now, so part of his day was spent wandering the rest of the woods, desperately searching for a bigger and safer place to set up camp, or at least until he might be able to find another stranded human like himself. He would eventually give up and head back to camp, feeling disheartened. He would then spend time working on something resembling a weapon; he had his sights set on crafting a knife. Sure, it was made out of tree bark, and other materials, certainly not sharp enough to seriously injure anybody, let alone a wild animal, but what else did he have to work with? 

Louis knew that if he were to ever encounter one of those _things_ again, he wouldn’t be as lucky. So the rest of his day he spent attempting to teach himself self-defense. It was a little difficult since he had no idea what he was doing and had no one to practice with, but, being a little prepared was better than not being prepared at all.

One thing he had learned through this whole terrible experience: you mustn’t make any sudden noises. While Louis hadn’t actually seen any of those monsters out in the woods yet, he certainly had heard some sounds that he _knew_ didn’t belong to any animals. He swore he actually heard… footsteps sometimes. Very human-like screams in the distance. Whatever. Even if it was nothing, you could never be too careful. 

Louis looked up through the curtain that he had made out of leaves to cover the cave entrance to see that the sun was going down at last. Dinner time.

At night, Louis would go out into the wild again to find himself dinner. It was a little scarier than when he went out in the morning, since he could hardly see where he was going, but he made himself brave the journey into the trees and back to safety. 

Nowadays, it seemed as though Louis’ stomach was always growling for more. The berries and weeds that grew out from the ground just weren’t cutting it anymore. Louis eyed the pathetic knife that he had been working on in the corner. Tonight could be his first try to get some real meat. But was he ready…?

Not taking another minute to think it over, Louis grabbed his poor excuse for a knife and walked carefully into the wild, being careful to mind the loose twigs and crunchy leaves on the ground. 

The sun had now gone down completely. The human-like shadows being cast from the trees made his journey that much more frightening. Louis was suddenly glad he had brought his knife along with him, if only it's only use was to frighten someone off; that thing probably couldn’t even cut through skin. He gripped it tighter in his hold nonetheless. It made him feel more safe. 

An owl hooted in the distance. Some woodland creature raced past Louis’ knees into a nearby bush. Louis’ breathing began to come out heavier. It was becoming hard to stay calm. He was only becoming hungrier and hungrier, too…

Not long after he began his journey for food, Louis spotted a squirrel attempting to climb an especially high tree. This was his chance! Creeping up slowly, Louis swung his knife at the squirrel pathetically, missing by a mile. The squirrel climbed up the tree successfully. Louis was just about ready to give up and head back to his shelter to sleep for the night. Berries and weeds it was. To quell his hunger a little, he grabbed a handful of berries from a nearby bush, stuffing half into his pocket, the other half into his mouth. 

While going on his usual route to where he found his edible berries and weeds, he noticed something in the distance, out of the corner of his eye, and stopped in his tracks. A trick of his eye, that’s all it was. He was only homesick, and he’s starting to see things, he tried to convince himself. 

He started on his journey again, trying to forget what he just saw, when it happened again. Far away, in the distance, he swore he saw his old home back in the city. In the dark woods, the lights coming from the house shone brightly, as if someone was home and about to put a log on. 

With his head turning and stomach growling worse than ever before, he didn’t think before running to the light, not keeping in mind at all that he was supposed to be keeping quiet. As he ran closer, he began to see the details in better quality. A window had been flung open, to help the light pour out more generously. His mum and all the girls had gathered all around the kitchen, helping with making their favorite meal. Abigail noticed him from the window and smiled a toothless grin, reaching a hand out-

All went black.

\--

Louis doesn’t know how, when, or why, but when he wakes up, he finds himself lying in the middle of the woods. For a little while he just lies there, his head pounding and his sight blurry. After a minute of coming to, he decided to evaluate his surroundings and figure out what exactly happened. 

It didn’t take him long to figure out: in front of him stood probably the biggest tree he’d ever encountered in his life. Putting his pounding head and him lying on the ground together, he figured he must’ve run into it. But why?

Shaking his head slightly in confused bewilderment, he picked himself up off the ground, only stumbling a little bit. His only problem now was, well, finding his way back to his little cave when he had no idea where he was. And to top it all off, he was even more hungry than before.

Louis looked all around, trying to decide on a direction to start walking. The sound of a leaf crunching under someone's foot sounded to his left. He decided it didn’t matter which direction he went; he just needed to get away from here. 

The path in front of him looked nice and not as full of loud items that could give his location away, so that’s the path he took. But despite the fact that it was cleaner than the others, he still kept careful watch of his footsteps. Slow and steady won the race, and wouldn’t get you killed, either. 

It had been at least five minutes of walking and Louis hadn’t seen anything familiar yet. He was now beginning to miss his pathetic little cave…

_ SNAP! _

Louis jumped. He heard a very audible snap of a twig break under someone’s foot. It wasn’t him and it sounded close. Louis stood in his tracks in silence for a minute, waiting for another sound to come. Silence. He let out a slow breath of air and continued. 

Not a second after Louis took his first step, he heard the sound again. Except it wasn’t just one twig snap this time. It was one after the other, as if the thing was walking. And was coming after  _ him _ _. _

Louis picked up the pace of his walking a little more. Maybe he was just overthinking it; it was probably just an animal, and it wasn’t chasing after him at all. 

He heard the footsteps begin to get heavier and twigs snapping at a more rapid pace. Louis fastened his pace once again. He wasn’t afraid, he told himself. Just getting some exercise in. 

The footsteps now sounded like the thing was in a full on sprint; Louis could practically hear the huffs of their breath on the back of his neck. Combined with the pitch black dark, him not knowing where in the woods he even is, and now being chased down by who knows what, he had reached his limit. 

Ignoring all former thoughts about making as little noise as possible and at all costs, not to run or scream, Louis began to run, not knowing which direction he was going anymore, but no longer caring. This was officially a life or death scenario. Louis felt tears building in his eyes as he continued to run. He could just hear the monster behind him now, ready to wrap its cold hands around his neck, just as his mother did…

In an instant, before he even realized, Louis tripped over a tree root, and had returned back to his spot, facefirst into the hard dirt. He didn’t let that stop him from fighting, though; he backed up against the nearest tree trunk, waving his pointy tree bark out wildly, eyes squeezed shut. At least when he met his death, he wouldn't have to witness the killer.

Louis was expecting to hear the snarl of a beast, the hiss of a monster, the cold, pale hands around his neck. What he was  _ not  _ expecting to hear was-

“Erm. Hello?”


	2. Chapter 2

Louis heard the words but didn’t believe that they were real. It was just a figment of his imagination. It had to be. There was no way there was a perfectly normal human speaking to him right now when it had been more than a month of nothing. He kept his eyes sealed shut, continuing to flail his bark around, ready to feel his life slowly slip away.

“Are you alright, mate?” he vaguely heard. He wasn’t listening anymore, though.

Louis’ breath was coming out in large puffs; he was afraid he was on the verge of a panic attack. After all that training he had attempted; he still wasn’t ready. Eyes still screwed shut, he wrapped himself further around the thick tree he had backed up against, sending a quick message to some angel who could save him-

“Hey- HEY. Listen, just calm down. Listen to my voice. Breathe with me. In and out.”

Louis listened to the stranger’s heavy but calm breathing, and tried to match it with his own. A mantra had begun in his head, harmonizing with the stranger’s voice. _In and out, in and out_ _._ Eventually, Louis sat sniffling against the tree, breathing at a normal pace once again. However, the knife stayed tight in his grip. 

Louis heard the stranger move slightly closer to his side, yet still kept respectable distance. He could tell that the man was now on the ground alongside him. Louis gripped his knife even tighter; if it was sharp enough to do any harm, he was sure it would’ve drawn blood. 

“Relax. Look - if it makes you any more comfortable, I’ll get rid of all my weapons.” Louis heard the clanking of metal against the ground. He peeked an eyelid open. 

Indeed, weapons of all kinds - _real_ knives, an axe, a long, impressive looking sword, and other items Louis couldn't quite distinguish, laid all across the ground at Louis’ feet. 

Louis opened both of his eyes, deciding to take a look at the seemingly kind stranger. Once he had one glance, he found himself not being able to stop. Unlike Louis, the stranger was dressed very appropriately; he wore tough clothing, not easy to rip, such as boots, denim, and even what looked to be like light armor. 

His outfit wasn’t his most impressive feat, though; not to Louis, at least. The stranger was amazingly built; his arms alone had Louis foaming at the mouth. He had dreamy chocolate brown curls that reached to just a little above his broad shoulders. And of course, his facial features practically had him weak at the knees, even from down on the ground. He had plump pink lips, a strong jawline, and emerald green eyes that he could see from as far away as he was. 

Of course, the stranger hadn’t noticed any of Louis’ ogling; through all of this, he had continued to take off all of his threatening gadgets. That was, until, the stranger caught Louis’ eye and smirked. Louis shut his eyes tightly again, embarrassed. 

The stranger chuckled lightly, seemingly at ease with his life at the moment. Louis envied him. After what seemed like ages, all of the stranger’s belongings sat on the ground. Louis wondered what his next move would be. He could feel the strangers gaze on him.. Louis may have stopped shaking like a leaf, but his body was still tense with mistrust. 

“Would you be more comfortable if you knew a little more about me? ‘M Harry. What’s your name?”

Louis suddenly became aware that this Harry character was talking as loud as day, not a care in the world as how dangerous that could be. For the first time, Louis attempted to communicate to the stranger. 

Louis sat up against the tree, opened both his eyes, made eye contact with the stranger, and placed a single silent finger against his lips. 

“What?” Harry said, loud as ever. “Is your name the number One?”

Louis shook his head irritably, placing the finger more firmly against his lips. 

Harry just wasn’t seeming to get the message. “What are you trying to say? I can’t understand you.”

Louis had reached his limit. “ _ Just shut up, alright?! It’s dangerous talking so loud _ _.”  _ he hissed. He didn’t want to resort to being mean, but Harry had pushed his hand.

Harry grinned. “And so he speaks.” 

Louis was annoyed, but at least the strange man was whispering.

Harry now sat down right in front of him, crossing his legs, attempting to make eye contact. Louis pointedly looked away. 

“Are you seriously hurt anywhere? I could help. I have some bandages somewhere and could patch you up.”

Louis only huffed in response. He wished Harry would go away already. He was tougher than he looked. He didn’t need some tough man to save the day. 

Harry frowned at him, but he didn’t seem upset. If anything, he seemed worried about leaving this obviously spooked and defenseless man all on his own. Louis wondered why Harry wasn’t annoyed with him yet; he was aware that he could be very stubborn. But if anything, Harry seemed to only gain more patience the more stubborn Louis became. 

Harry began packing all of his dropped items into a large bag Louis had not noticed before. After he finished stuffing everything back in there, he stood up from the ground, dusted himself off, and turned. 

Harry looked over his shoulder in Louis’ general direction. “You coming, or what?”

Louis stayed emotionless and uninterested from the ground, not even looking in his direction. 

Harry laughed quietly under his breath, slowly walking into the woods. “I guess I’ll just leave you alone, then.” And just like that, he was gone. 

Louis scrambled up from the ground to follow, worried that he had already traveled too far, that he had lost him. He didn’t _trust_ him or anything. He just had no idea where he was, it was dark and scary, and Harry was big enough so that he could protect them both. Besides, if they were to get attacked by some monster, they’d go for Harry first, and Louis would have time to run. 

Luckily, Harry had kept a slow pace for Louis to catch up, and Louis fell in line easily beside him. He hoped Harry wouldn’t say anything to make him feel silly. 

Harry began digging around in his bag full of weapons as they walked. Louis eyed him nervously from the corner of his eye. Was this it? Did this man make him feel somewhat safe around him just so he could be an even easier target?

“Heads up,” Harry called to him. Without a second to think, Louis panicked at the small object that was suddenly tossed his way, catching it awkwardly. He examined the object carefully in his hands. A real knife. Not even just a knife. A  _ dagger _ .

Louis looked to Harry in confusion. Why would he…?

Harry glanced Louis’ way, giving him a small smile. “I noticed you didn’t have any weapons on you. Keep it safe for me, alright?” he winked. 

Louis rolled his eyes, looking away, but nonetheless tucked the weapon safely into his pocket.

They walked for a few minutes in peaceful silence. With the absolute trauma that Louis just went through in the dark, he decided to walk his usual slow pace, watching his feet, and Harry followed suit. Louis supposed Harry wanted to stay on his good side, as to not terrify him again. 

Harry broke the silence, nudging Louis’ hand lightly with his own. “I never got your name, you know.”

Louis shrugged his shoulders lightly. Despite the month he had gone without human contact, he wasn’t quite in the mood for chit-chat. He continued to watch his steps carefully, paying no mind to Harry’s watchful gaze on him. 

“It’s quite a walk back to my place, y’know. Just thought we’d have a chat.”

Louis nearly snapped his neck turning to face Harry, face full of fear and betrayal of the little smidge of trust he had earned. 

“What?” Harry asked incredulously. “I don’t know where you’ve been staying, and you won’t tell me, and I’m not gonna let you stay out here by yourself. So you’ll be staying with me, for now. If that’s okay?” he looked unsure for the first time. 

Louis stopped walking. Harry stumbled a little in surprise, but stopped alongside him. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” Harry looked Louis up and down quickly, looking for any injuries. 

Louis didn’t answer; he just looked at Harry for a bit. His positive attitude, even in a crisis. His friendliness. The genuine concern he had for someone he had just met. Harry had now met his stare. Louis let the smallest of smiles cross his lips, and nodded once. Harry gave him the largest smile he had seen from him yet, and nodded once. 

Louis hadn’t said anything, but he didn’t have to. The message had been received. 

___

“Louis.” a small whisper, barely loud enough to hear through the light breeze, carried through the dark night. “My name is Louis.”

They had walked in silence for a good while; it was hard to know how long it had been. It seemed as though the world was now forever in night mode, it had been dark for so long. 

Harry hummed quietly. “Well, Louis, it’s nice to meet you. By the way, how did you end up like that in the middle of the woods? Did you ever have a proper shelter?”

Louis huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, if you can call it that. I won’t be missing it, that’s for sure.” He went quiet for a moment, a little embarrassed by the story he was about to tell. 

“I- well,” Louis rubbed the back of his neck; he could already feel it burning. “I went out to find some food tonight. I was planning on it being my first night eating real meat since, y’know…”

“So what happened?”

“Well, I had my knife with me and everything,” he held up his tree bark sheepishly, “but-”

“What- you were planning on going hunting with that thing?” Harry barked out a laugh, startling some birds from neighboring trees. “That’s - uh,” he seemed to notice Louis’ mixed look of embarrassment, sadness, and rising anger and abruptly stopped, “that’s perfectly respectable and brave of you,” he finished sheepishly.

Louis rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I obviously couldn’t kill anything with this crap, so I took to what I’ve been eating this past month.” He pulled out the remaining berries from his pocket, silently offering them to Harry. 

Needless to say, Louis was not expecting Harry to react the way he did. At the sight of the berries, Harry nearly jumped out of his skin, promptly smacking the berries out of Louis’ hand. 

“Wha-” Louis stopped walking, and looked to Harry with a mix of anger and confusion, “What was that for?”

“Have you been eating those all day?!” Harry whispered as seriously as he could, stomping on all the berries he had knocked to the ground. 

“No! I only had a few before I- well, I can’t remember much of what happened after I ate those. I actually... nevermind.”

Harry finally stopped squishing the last of the berries to look up at Louis. “Hey,” he said softly, reaching a hand out to place gently on Louis’ shoulder. “What’s up? You can talk to me.” 

Louis weakly shrugged him off, no malice in his actions. “I just - it’s nothing, I was just being dumb. Seeing things, probably.” He turned to continue along their walk to wherever Harry lived, when a hand grabbed at his shoulder again. 

“Louis, wait.” Harry said softly. Louis didn’t turn, but stayed where he was. “These berries… are poisonous. The Rinana berry. It causes hallucinations, you might get very sick and throw up, and if you eat too many… death. Louis… what did you see?”

Louis could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but didn’t turn around. He couldn’t let his guard down too much, not this soon. He cleared his throat, and tried not to let his voice wobble. “I swear I - I saw my family. The way they were before. They were at home, and the window was flung open, and they were making dinner, and,” Louis sniffled, “My youngest sibling, she saw me and was so happy.” He took a deep breath to collect himself. “The last time I saw them they - they weren’t  _ human _ . I hate that that’s the last memory I’ll ever have of them. I loved -  _ still love _ my family more than anything, still think of them every day. And the last time I saw them, they tried to kill me. I just want to go home, Harry.”

Louis finally let one sob escape, and that’s all Harry needed to hear before he wrapped him up in his arms. Since the day Louis had fled, he never really let himself truly release all of the emotions he had locked up inside. For more than a month, the woodland creatures and trees had been his only company. It didn’t even occur to Louis that he was spilling all of his emotions onto a stranger whose name he had learned only an hour ago. He was sure that the tough shirt the man was wearing was now stained with Louis’ tears. 

He quickly pushed him away, wiping his tears. Immediately, he was frustrated with himself. Why had he made himself look so weak in front of this man? He thought of the dagger that he had been given, now stuffed in his pants pocket, and then looked at Harry’s concerned face. Maybe… they could be a team. But one slip up on Harry’s part, Louis wouldn’t hesitate. He wouldn’t hurt him, of course, he hadn’t gained the stomach for that just yet, but he would flee, taking the dagger with him.

“I’m sorry,” Louis croaked out. He wished he wasn’t so emotional. “I probably look so foolish right now.”

“No, no of course not,” Harry was quick to reassure him. “If anything, I think more of you. Hell, I think you’re more brave than the strongest thing in this forest.”

Louis rolled his eyes at him, but couldn’t help the small smile that came to his lips. What a suck up. He was almost... sweet, though. 

They continued on their walk, Harry encouraging Louis to talk about what happened. 

“... and suddenly I woke up, and I had no idea what was happening, how I got there, or how to get home. I thought I’d just wander around and figure out how to get back myself, but then I heard footsteps. Very human sounding footsteps…” Louis gasped, suddenly remembering why he had been running in the first place. “Hey! That was you, wasn’t it?” his grip tightened on the dagger as he slowly ascended towards Harry. “What’d you go chasing me for, mate? Like scaring people in the middle of nowhere, do you? I oughta…”

“Hey, whoa, let’s just calm down for a second, alright?” Louis could see real panic in Harry’s eyes at this point, but it didn’t deter him. Harry put his hands up in defense, showing that he had no intention of hurting Louis. “Listen, Louis, I truly have no idea what you’re talking about. What happened? There was someone chasing you? Is that why you were so upset when I found you?”

Louis loosened his grip on the dagger by a fraction. “Wait. If that wasn’t you chasing me, then how did you find me?”

Harry fumbled with his bag that he had slung over his shoulder. “I went hunting for some food, same as you.” From his bag stuffed with various items, he pulled out an obviously dead squirrel. Louis cringed at the sight, feeling sorry for the poor thing. He hoped it didn’t show on his face. “This probably won’t be enough for the both of us,” Harry continued, stuffing the thing back in the bag, “but I’m willing to share.” 

Louis glared at him still. “That didn’t answer my question.” He removed the dagger from his pocket at last, waving it threateningly in Harry’s direction. 

Harry sighed frustradely. Wasn’t keen on getting stabbed, probably. “I was over in the woods getting myself dinner, and I heard commotion. Some screams. Thought I’d come over to help. And, well, thought I’d make a friend as well. It’s been kinda lonely, to be honest.”

The reasonable explanation didn’t quell Louis’ worries, though. If anything, it only made his anxiety worse. If that thing in the woods chasing him wasn’t Harry, then… what was it? A chill went down his spine. 

Louis looked around the deep, dark forest that surrounded him, and suddenly felt more afraid then he ever had before, even more than the first night. With a deep, shaky breath, he nodded in Harry’s general direction, signaling to him that he wanted to keep going. 

He took a step forward, when Harry stopped him once more. “Hey. Alright?”

Louis frowned. “Yeah, yeah, I just,” he shook his head, trying to clear it, “I wanna get out of here, you know? Especially now that I know it’s not safe.”

Harry nodded in understanding. “Alright, come on, then. No more stops, yeah? And hey,” he gestured to the dagger that Louis was about to carefully place back in his pocket, “Keep that out, alright? Just in case. Always stay armed.”

Louis nodded seriously, holding it tightly in his grip again. Harry chuckled at him lightly as they continued walking. “Once we get back to camp, I gotta teach you proper self defense.” 

___

They tried to keep as silent as they could the whole walk back. Louis was so starving, he thought he might pass out; it had been nearly a whole day since he’d last had something to eat. Harry assured him that they were almost back at his camp. “As soon as we get back, I’ll whip something up for us to eat,” he promised. 

Louis held onto his stomach painfully; it had been a rough day, to say the least. He never let go of his knife, though, as he kept in mind what Harry told him. He felt a pang of annoyance every time he ordered him to do something, but unfortunately his will to live overpowered his stubbornness. He had to show him, somehow, that he wasn’t some delicate little flower that needed rescuing. It would make him too easy of a target if Harry decided to turn on him eventually. 

After a long and tired walk, Harry stopped him, throwing his arm out across Louis’ chest. Louis looked to him in confusion. After all, where they had stopped looked no different than any other piece of the woods. Harry smiled at him, though. Moving a low hanging branch from a nearby English Oak tree, he revealed a cave, large enough for both of them to fit. 

“Welcome home,” Harry gestured for Louis to step inside. 

When he hesitated, Harry gave him a reassuring smile, but then quickly began scouring the surrounding area for firewood; he was keeping well on his promise and gathering sticks for a fire to cook them some dinner. Louis shyly stepped forward to enter the cave. 

Inside Harry’s shelter was dark, but Louis could see enough to make his mouth drop open. Compared to his little cave that barely fit his body, this place was practically like a small house. A few coats lay in the corner of the room; what he assumed to be his resting place, a pile of even _more_ sharp objects lie in another corner, and the bag that withheld all of Harry’s other weapons, including their food for tonight, lie tossed in the middle of the room. As simple as it seemed, Louis was astonished. This was more than he ever could’ve asked for.

Harry reentered the room at last, arms full of twigs and flammable objects to light a fire. Dropping them unceremoniously on the ground, he looked up at Louis sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, gesturing to the space around them. “I know it’s not much, but.” He didn’t seem to know how to finish that sentence, but he didn’t have to. 

“It’s wonderful. I love it. It’s so spacious and warm and has so much potential… where am I sleeping tonight?” Louis said this all very fast, a bright smile on his face. 

Harry stared at Louis for a minute with a look of wonder. The way his face had lit up at such a small prospect at having a safe shelter for a night… he obviously hadn’t felt cared for or protected in a while. 

He returned his smile. “You can have my spot tonight. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable while I get started on our food.”

Harry hunched over his pile of firewood, attempting to get a fire started. He heard Louis fumbling around behind him, and peeked behind his shoulder. 

Louis had bundled up to his small pile of coats, eyes closed peacefully. It had probably been a long night for him, he figured. But as small and peaceful as he looked, he couldn’t help but notice the dagger he had given Louis kept right next to his hand.  _ Just in case _ , he could imagine Louis thinking to himself. 

Harry smiled to himself as he went back to working on the fire. He had a feeling he was going to like this Louis fellow. 

___

  
  


A light breeze blew through the shelter, rustling Louis in his sleep. He wrinkled his nose slightly, still fast asleep, and rolled over on his side. 

Despite the bitter cold from the night before, today looked as though it was going to be bright and sunny, a perfect day to lounge around outside, maybe take a dip in the lake. As the sun slowly rose higher and higher in the sky, the shelter began to grow warmer and brighter. Louis’ shivering eventually stopped as he slept on. 

Far away, in a world that seemed like a lifetime ago, the clocks of London rang out as the clocks hit eight a.m. In another life, Louis would be hard at work right now, shining shoes like his life depended on it, because it did. But it would all be worth it when he headed home that night and saw the smiles on his family’s faces. 

Louis was deep in a dream about them right now, imagining them in simple, mundane instances, like sitting down for dinner, or waking up early in the morning with his sisters so they could eat breakfast with him and see him off. He would give anything in the world to relive those simple days. His face suddenly scrunched up as he dreamed. He was walking his sisters to school, but instead of waving goodbye with smiles on their faces, they were  _ deteriorating.  _ Red splotches bloomed around their eyes as they slowly became paler and grew a thirst for his flesh…

Louis gasped himself awake, sitting straight up where he lay, desperately searching the ground around himself for his dagger. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the nightmare. He thinks he was starting to prefer when he had dreamless sleep. 

As he calmed down and began to collect his bearings of where he was and why, he noticed one thing missing: Harry. 

Whereas a second ago, Louis was peacefully asleep, he now jumped up on his feet, now more desperate to find his dagger than ever. The night before, Harry had let Louis sleep on the coats, while he slept on the cold, dirty ground. “We’ll find something tomorrow for me to sleep on,” he had said. And while Louis had felt a little bad for taking his sleeping spot, he didn’t fight him on it. Once he finally located his only weapon, he held it tightly in his hand, and slowly advanced toward the entrance of the shelter. He didn’t know what had happened to Harry, but his history of loss was telling him it meant nothing good. 

The long branches of the tree that blocked the entrance rustled slightly; someone was approaching. Footsteps could be heard right outside, and Louis knew this was his chance. He raised the dagger to attack when-

“Louis, wake up, I brought- what are you doing?” Harry walked in, arms leaden with breakfast and wood, rucksack full of weapons slung over his shoulder.

Without even realizing, when Louis thought he was about to be attacked, he had frozen. Again. His arm with the dagger had stayed frozen in midair, panic written all over his face. He slowly lowered his arm, looking at Harry, who was looking at him with no discernable expression; he wasn’t angry or upset he had just tried to attack him. If anything, he looked curious, with a hint of worry. 

“I-” Louis hastily stuffed the dagger back in his pocket, “I’m sorry. I thought-”

Harry finally gave him a smile, breaking the awkwardness that had settled. “Hey, it’s okay. I get it. Let’s just say I’ll have to get you started on learning how to fight right away, alright? If I was really here to attack you, you would’ve been dead within a second.”

Louis scowled at him, looking away a second later to hide his shy smile. At least some good would come out of staying with Harry for a bit. Some training, some food, and… a possible friend? He was snapped out of his thoughts by Harry clearing his throat, arms still full of all of the fresh meat he had hunted. Louis looked at him, raising his eyebrows. 

“So,” Harry started, raising his eyebrows back, “wanna learn how to skin and roast a squirrel?”

___

Louis scrunched his nose as he bit into his first rabbit. He had to say, he never thought he’d be eating woodland creatures before, and though the thought didn’t sound too appetizing, it honestly wasn’t half bad. He tried not to let it show on his face, though. He couldn’t let the satisfaction get to Harry’s head. 

It had been a week since Louis had made his stay here and to be honest he really did prefer it over surviving alone with only a few loose berries keeping up space in his stomach. Harry had insisted that Louis take all the time he needed to get settled and comfortable around the small space, and so that’s exactly what he’d been doing. 

As much as he hated to admit, Harry and Louis had already become a bit of a team, with a bit of a routine set and everything. When Harry went out to hunt, Louis would follow close behind, searching for nearby berries to pick, with Harry’s assistance of course. “No Rinana berries, alright?” he would joke, “I don’t have much taste for them, myself.”

After they ate, they would go out and scrounge for supplies; materials to make a good resting place, wood and twigs to make a fire, and anything else that they could find useful. In their downtime, Harry would teach Louis all he knew about what he learned by living in the woods for this long and would encourage Louis to let him teach him some hunting techniques. Louis cringed at the thought of having to kill innocent little animals, but eventually accepted the offer. Though he had trouble actually doing any of the killing, he was starting to get the hang of skinning and roasting. 

If they had any extra time left in their day, they would wander the woods together, searching. For what, they weren’t sure. Other survivors, somewhere where they could bathe, some better protection. They often came back empty handed and with no new discoveries, but it helped to get a better grasp on their surroundings, at least. And besides, Harry was good company, even if Louis didn’t provide much to their conversation. 

Louis cleaned the last bit of meat off of his bone, savoring the taste of meat, a luxury he thought he’d never get to enjoy again. 

“So, whatcha think? Any good?” Harry grinned up at him, licking the last remaining bits of his meal off his fingers.

Louis gave him a small smile, nodding silently. 

Here was the thing - though Louis hadn’t even known Harry for that long yet, he could tell he was a good guy that got caught up in a shitty situation, just like him. Louis didn’t mistrust Harry, per se; in fact, he was the only human he’s trusted in the past month. Despite how hostile Louis had been with him so far, he’s been nothing but understanding and had even taken up the habit of whispering and watching his feet while walking as to not make too much noise. But the truth was, he was still a stranger to him, and he just wasn’t quite ready to show himself to Harry completely yet. 

Harry didn’t even blink at Louis’ silence, though, instead choosing to pull his rucksack of weapons closer, taking them out one by one to inspect them to make sure they were still in shape. Louis held his breath as he watched Harry run a fingertip over the sharp edge of an axe. Leaving all of his previous thoughts of not trusting anyone behind, he decided to take the first step toward true companionship. 

“Where’d you get all those weapons from?” Louis whispered, quiet as a mouse. He almost hoped Harry wouldn’t hear. 

However, Harry’s neck snapped up at the sound of his voice. He looked at Louis, and then around, as to make sure that he had really said something, and he hadn’t just imagined it. Louis rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t blame him. This had to be the first time he had initiated conversation that didn’t start with a threat. 

“I, uh…” he wiped a hand down the side of his face, trying to quell the joy that swelled inside of him, “I was a blacksmith’s assistant down in London. When uh… disaster struck, I just grabbed all the weapons I could find and fought my way out of there. I guess that job came in handy, after all,” he chuckled.

A small silence fell over them. They both seemed to know what question was coming next.

“Did you have a family?” Louis asked, his voice hardly higher than a whisper. 

Harry’s mouth twitched into a frown for a second as he inspected a particularly large knife. “I did, actually. But I have no way of knowing if they’re safe. Or if the virus even traveled to their area.” At Louis’ puzzled look, Harry continued. “They’re not from here. I… I wanted more than what they and that small town could give me, and so I ran. I haven’t seen them in years, and… I don’t even know if they’d want to see me again.”

Louis frowned at him. He was obviously beating himself up over the situation and Louis didn’t think he deserved it. Picking himself up off the ground, he dropped himself next to Harry, placing a hand on his shoulder. The situation seemed very familiar, but flipped. Harry was usually the one comforting him. But no one man can carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“Hey, I-” Louis cleared his throat, speaking a little louder this time, so Harry knew he meant it, “I didn’t know your family. And I don’t know where they are, if they’re affected, or if they’re even still okay. But… if your family was anything like mine… I know they never forgot you, and that they’ll always care. And one day, after all of this is over, you’re gonna find them again. But until then…” Louis took Harry’s hand in his, “We’ll be each other’s family for now, alright?”

Harry looked at Louis’ hand in his own, amazed. He looked up slowly and nodded once at Louis. An agreement.

___

And from then on, it was so. Though Louis was as nervous as ever the following days, it had already been said. Though they were not related, they were to protect and trust each other as though they were family. Through time, it became easier to believe and want to do it, rather than it feeling like a must. 

Weeks passed. Harry and Louis explored the forest together and found a river with a small waterfall where they could bathe and wash their clothing. The clean water it now supplied didn’t hurt either. It was the most fun either of them had in awhile, being able to show the fun side of themselves to each other, laughing and splashing around peacefully through the roar of the waterfall. Harry even playfully threw Louis into the river, who immediately scolded him for the loud splash that it caused. But Harry didn’t even hear him over the way Louis’ eyes crinkled when he smiled. 

Weeks turned into months. Harry confessed to Louis that since they didn’t know how long they’d be out here in the wilderness, he’d been thinking about trying to build an actual house out of the logs the surrounding trees supplied. After all, it was still summer now, but when winter came, the nights would not be pretty. And while they could go back into the city and find an old abandoned home, neither of them have seen the state of the city since they left and had no idea if it was safe or not. Louis accused him of being insane, at first; didn’t he know how much noise that would make, chopping down trees all willy nilly?! He grew more comfortable with the idea, however, when Harry explained that he would only do it near the waterfall, where any passerby wouldn’t be able to hear as clearly, and would only do a little bit a day. Besides, if anyone tried to attack him, he had the tools and experience to fight them off. Louis didn’t like the sound of that, not one bit, but he could tell Harry wouldn’t let it go until he got his way. And so every morning after the both of them ate, Harry would walk to the waterfall to chop. 

Harry could tell Louis wasn’t happy with him though, especially when it started to look like he was closing himself off again. What could he do to make Louis feel special? He deserved some spoiling after all times that Harry’s got his way. He thought fast, and that next morning, he headed the opposite way of the waterfall, when he was sure Louis wasn’t looking. He had something else in mind…

\- - -

Louis paced the floor of the shelter that evening, worried out of his wits. He had just checked the sky; it was their usual eating time, and Harry had yet to return with food, wood - anything! He knew it. He knew that chopping wood was too loud for a situation like theirs and Harry had - what - probably gone and gotten himself killed. He was about to head out and search for that idiot himself, when-

“Louis,” a voice called softly from just outside of the shelter, “come out here. Got something I wanna show you.”

Louis fumed. He recognized Harry’s voice right away. Oh, sure, he’d come out, alright, but he would let him have it, too. He pushed the long branches away from the entrance of the shelter, stomping outside. “Where the _hell_ have you-” but he never got to finish his sentence. 

Outside, Harry sat on the ground, with only his beaten-up brown coat serving as a blanket. In front of him sat a lit candle, with more food than he’s seen in a while surrounding it; fish, berries, squirrel, rabbit, and- was that  _ cheese _ _?!  _ Louis’ face immediately softened at the sight, joining Harry on the ground, sitting across from him. 

Louis chose a berry, eyes wide as he took in everything in front of him. “You did this… for me?” 

Harry began slicing the block of cheese with one of his many knives. “Yeah, well… I figure you deserve it for putting up with me these past few weeks.” he looked up at Louis, who was shyly smiling down at his meal. He had always known that Louis was beautiful, but something about the lighting, the way the candlelight was flickering, Louis’ eyelashes that fanned out across his cheeks, made him look so… 

“Gorgeous,” Louis mumbled to himself. “The sunset tonight looks amazing. Look, Harry.”

Harry glanced once at the sunset to appease Louis and then returned his gaze to the small boy. He looked so carefree in this moment, he realized. It had probably been so long since he’d had time to just relax and be young, himself. A comfortable silence had settled between them. 

“Where did you get all this stuff, anyways?”

Harry tensed when Louis broke the silence. He knew Louis wouldn’t be happy if he knew where he had gone to get all of this and he didn’t want to ruin his good mood, but he also never wanted to lie to him. 

“I- well, I know we said it’s not safe to go back into the city yet, but-”

“ _ Harry you did not _ _ -” _

“I just wanted to make something special for you! And listen, Lou,  _ listen _ , it’s not as bad as you think. I really think we might be able to find somewhere safe by winter.”

Louis huffed, looking Harry up and down. “You didn’t get hurt? And no one saw you?”

Not waiting for an answer, Louis scooted closer to Harry, patting all around his body, feeling for injuries. 

“I’m fine, Lou, promise. And as far as I could see, the city was abandoned.”

Louis finally sat back, seemingly pleased with the lack of injuries on Harry. 

“So,” Harry started, “will you go check out the city with me again tomorrow?”

Worry creased Louis’ eyebrow. He was obviously terrified at the idea. But he also didn’t want to live in the wilderness for the rest of his life, living in fear. 

“Let’s do it.”

\- - -

They decided to wake early the next day, so they could eat, prepare, and set off. Once they managed to find their way through the woods, and reached the very beginning of the city, Louis had to take a second. The last time he was here, he had just run from his blood-thirsty family. He couldn’t help but wonder where they were now…

“Louis,” Harry whispered, “you ready?”

Louis nodded, taking in a shaky breath. He wouldn’t be able to get through this alone, though. They walked together, and reached the small village where Louis once considered his home. He reached for Harry’s hand, entangling it in his own. Unbeknownst to him, Harry blushed.

Finally, they passed right by Louis’ old home. He squeezed Harry’s hand to signal him to stop. As unsafe as it may be, he just had to know. What exactly, he wasn’t sure. If his family was safe? If they recovered? If they were even still in there? Releasing Harry’s hand, he walked towards the door, placing his hand on the handle. He glanced behind him at Harry, who hadn't moved. 

_ You okay? _ the silent question was asked. 

Louis nodded once, facing the door again. This was probably, definitely going to be a bad idea, but he had to know. Ignoring the warning signs going off in his brain, he stopped thinking, opening the door. 

Darkness greeted him. The only source of light came from the outside, the sunbeams lighting up the room considerably. Louis stepped inside the room fully, Harry not far behind, a weapon already raised in case danger arose. 

Louis knew one thing, and it was that the rooms around the house needed a good dusting. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, exactly, but he went around and checked all the rooms, calling each of their names in turn. Once the entirety of the house had been searched, there was only one place left. The barn. 

Harry helped Louis open the heavy doors, lighting the same candle that hadn't yet been burned out from the night before. And with that, they stepped inside. 

“Mum?” Louis called softly. No reply. In fact, the barn sounded more silent than it ever had before. 

They had now made it a majority inside. “Are you guys down here?” he tried, defeat seeping into his voice. Once again, he received no reply. 

They had searched the entire barn by now, with no avail. “Anyone?” Louis called. Only the sound of pure silence greeted him in return. Because of the help from the candle, Louis could see that this time, the barn was truly empty.

With no warning, Louis launched himself into Harry’s chest, causing him to stumble slightly. After the realization that he just needed comforting, Harry hugged him to his chest and didn’t let go until Louis pulled away. He knew it was time to move on. 

\- - -

They raided the once bustling streets of London, looking down every alley, tip toeing through each store. The markets that once sold stacked piles of food were now nearly empty; the only things left were fruits that had already gone rotten and brown. 

Louis had to hand it to Harry, though; the streets were as empty as could be. And while he wasn’t one hundred percent convinced that the big city had gone completely barren in such a short time frame, it looked safe enough for now. That being said, he still urged Harry to hurry picking out essentials so they could hurry back to the safety - or, rather, more safe - that was their shelter smartly hidden in the woods. His once easy feeling of being protected with Harry and his multiple sharp weapons had dissipated, being replaced with a sudden bad feeling. 

He turned to tug lightly at Harry’s shirt to let him know he wanted to turn back, when he heard a familiar grunt, and a scuffle of feet against the pavement. Louis turned slowly around, and once he saw what had made the offending noise, all thoughts of running back disappeared.  _ Barbara? _ __

Not thinking about how during their last encounter, she tried to kill him, Louis walked toward Barbara in a haze. She hadn’t noticed him, yet; she seemed to be on the verge of passing out, shuffling her feet against the cobblestone street, head hung against her chest. Louis’ worry raised, but not for himself. Barbara must be starved; they had to help her! And what if she knew where all the others were?

“ _ Barb _ .” It came out as no louder than a croak at first; it had been so long since he’d had the need to speak higher than a whisper. But she was now turning away, shuffling down another street.  _ No! He couldn’t lose her again! _

“BARB,” Louis shouted. He quickened his footsteps toward her retreating body. At his shout, she had startled, turning back to see where the sound had come from. 

It had startled Harry, as well, who was already several paces behind Louis; he hadn’t even noticed he had left his side. That’s when he noticed Louis was walking right toward what looked to be another human. But saying that they were human didn’t feel right… there was something weird about the way they were walking, how they were deathly pale, and how they seemed to not be listening to a word Louis was saying. Not only that, but their face was oddly deformed, as though they were about to fall to pieces or pass out from exhaustion. 

Despite Louis not even trying to keep his voice down anymore, Harry tried to jog as quietly as possible over to Louis, who seemed to be acting as though nothing was wrong. What was his problem? Couldn’t he see this person-  _ thing  _ wasn’t normal?

“... but I’ve missed you guys so much and I’m so glad you guys are still alive! I mean- what with what happened that one day, I had no idea of knowing…” Louis chatted with what used to be his sister, who only seemed to be interested in the expanse of Louis’ neck. He didn’t seem to notice when Barb licked her lips and released a guttural groan, but Harry certainly did. 

“ _ Louis _ ,” Harry hissed. “ _ What are you doing _ ?”

He turned to face him, his back to the monster. “Oh - Harry, this is my sister, Barbara! I think she’s fallen a bit ill, but… she can come back with us, right?”

Harry looked at Louis, then back at his sister, whose teeth were now bared, revealing two razor-sharp teeth, poised for Louis’ neck. 

Not wasting any time to think or even warn Louis, Harry snatched a combat knife from the bag slung over his shoulder, and pushed Louis out of harm’s way, where he collapsed on the hard ground. 

With Barb’s lunch now sprawled on the ground a few feet away, her next target was Harry, but he was ready. Throwing of her weak grabs from lack of proper nutrition, he raised his knife, ready to end her when-

“Harry, no!” 

Changing tactics, Harry slashed her cheek with his knife, shoving her to the ground. Barbara lied still for a long time, though it was obvious she hadn’t died judging from her weak attempts to get back up just to collapse back on the ground. With that out of his way, he could finally walk over to Louis and help him up where he was still lying, backed up against the nearest wall. He reached a hand out, and Louis took it. He took that as a good sign. He did just try and kill his virus-infected sister, after all. Far off in the distance, there was a bang and a scuffle, and when he looked back at where Barbara had just been, she had disappeared. Unsure of what that meant and how she had fled so fast, Harry knew they couldn’t stay for much longer.

With Louis back on his feet, they turned down the path to go back home; today’s trip had been a failure, and Louis was now terrified of going back to the city ever again. With his family's deformed faces chasing him everywhere he went, his fears were definitely valid. A single tear left Louis’ eye as they reached the beginning of the forest once again, but that’s all he allowed. At one point, he would have to move on from the past and accept that those things out there weren’t his family anymore, and that time was now. His family deserved to live on as joyous and beautiful beings, as they used to be. 

“Hey, Harry?” Louis whispered as they continued on their journey through the woods. 

Harry eyed Louis carefully. “Yeah, Lou?”

“Let’s build that house you wanted. I think I prefer it out here.”


	3. Chapter 3

Time passed, and things got easier. July slipped away into August, which brought Harry and Louis closer than ever. Despite Louis’ initial bad attitude toward making a log cabin, the two of them were now working day and night to make it a reality. Winter was approaching fast, but that only made them more determined. 

October hit when the project looked like it was finally done. Winter had not yet started, and yet the winds were beginning to shake them to their core. So of course, being able to light a hearty fire without fear of attracting unwanted guests from the smoke was welcomed. Harry also wasn’t afraid to brave into the open city every once in a while to get supplies such as blankets, fabric, and clean clothes. He would only go into town to do that, do no exploring, be as silent as a mouse, and get out of there as soon as possible, as per Louis’ instructions. And the last thing Harry wanted was for Louis to be upset with him. 

Though they now had a warm place to rest their heads and a reasonable amount of blankets, they couldn’t exactly lug an entire bed through the city into the woods; it could attract too much attention! And so they continued to sleep on the ground with their newfound blankets surrounding them, with some also acting as a small pillow. And if they cuddled up to each other some nights due to the cold, then no one else had to know. 

As it looked like they were to be stuck with each other for an unknown amount of time and they were now, well, teammates, they began to get to know each other better as they did their everyday routines. 

When they went fishing in the mornings, Louis would tell Harry about his family over the roar of the small waterfall. Over breakfast, Harry told him about his old job at being a blacksmith’s assistant. At dinner, they would whisper stories that came from what was now a past life. However, their journey of picking berries in the afternoon always brought the same companionable silence. Though little to no words were exchanged between them at this time, it had to be one of their favorite times. They began as strangers, one of whom could barely stand to look the other in the eye, and they now walked side by side, trusting that the other would watch their back. 

The first time it happened was in December. During one of their chats, Louis had offhandedly mentioned that his birthday must be coming up due to the snow that began falling and the constant cold. Christmas Eve was his birthday, he had briefly mentioned. Though Louis insisted that he was only stating something, he was soon to be 21, Harry knew he had to do something special. Something that made his face light up like it did when he apologized. And so, one night when he went hunting, he made a quick stop into the city. 

Christmas Eve morning, Louis awoke to a big breakfast and small memories that Harry must’ve taken from Louis’ old home. Louis cried that day for the first time in a while, and told him it was the best day he’d had in a long time. And that’s when _it_ happened. To Harry’s delight and surprise, Louis rewarded him with a light kiss on the cheek. But it had to only be a platonic, friendly kiss… right?

\- - -

Harry always knew he had somewhat of a harmless crush on Louis, but it had never been like this before. January came and brought the same frostbitten noses and strawberry lips that were just out of his reach. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Louis had done on his birthday… Harry’s face stung and tinted a bright red every time he thought about it; at least he could blame it on the cold, for now. 

Despite the cold, though, they still had to make their way out into the woods each morning. A light flutter of snow had begun a little before they made their trek out, and a few flakes had settled themselves on top of Louis’ long, delicate eyelashes. Harry quickly looked away before Louis could catch him staring. Their boots crunched as the snow began to pick up, making the ground more slippery than ever. 

A small hand engulfed Harry’s hand in their own. Surprised, Harry looked down to see Louis swinging their joined hands together. Harry grunted at him softly as to not bother the silence; a question. 

“Little chilly, yeah?” Louis whispered back. “My fingers are just about ready to fall off.”

Harry hummed back, continuing to swing their hands. He could platonically hold hands with Louis, for now. In fact, he hoped even when the sweaty summer arrived, Louis would still find excuses to hold his hand. 

\- - -

Louis knew he had to return the favor to Harry somehow for giving him such a thoughtful birthday, but what? He wasn’t near as strong or handy as Harry, and besides, they had no way of knowing what exact day it was. So after Louis’ birthday came and passed, he began counting days until the first of February. He wanted to do something special for Harry; not just something you could pick up at the store. That’s when an idea struck him - Harry’s ratty old jacket that he took everywhere! Back in London, he used to help his sisters with the seamswork and cleaning all the time. Goodness knew their little cabin could use some cleaning up, as well. And with that in mind, the next time Harry went out, he asked him if he could find some sewing equipment. It may not be much, but he knew Harry would appreciate it all the same. 

Indeed, Louis managed to steal Harry’s coat from him for a few days while he patched it up and took it down to the river for a quick wash. Not only would his coat last longer now, but it also wouldn’t stink up the room wherever Harry went. 

Louis awoke on the first day of February with butterflies in his stomach. He glanced over at Harry, still sleeping next to him with his mouth hanging open. If it was possible, Louis’ stomach turned even more. But there was no time to waste. The house wasn’t going to clean itself, after all. 

\- - -

Harry grumbled, shaking himself out of a dreamless sleep. Something didn’t feel right… for starters, he could smell the faint scent of food cooking, and… wait, where was Louis?! 

“Louis?” he called. At this moment, he wasn’t worried about keeping his voice down. Louis was his first priority right now. 

In the not-so-far-off distance, he heard a dull thud followed by a dainty grunt. “Wasn’t expecting you to be up so early…” a small voice called out. 

Harry allowed himself to smile drowsily. What could that little thing be up to?

At last, Louis entered the small room where they slept. All thoughts immediately left Harrys’ mind. His old, raggedy coat hung around Louis’ dainty little shoulders, drowning him in fabric. It had to be at least three sizes too big for his small frame. It also didn’t help that Louis was only wearing a nightgown originally designed for women. It was only when Louis gave him a strange look that he realized that his mouth had gone dry, his mouth was hanging open, and Louis had been trying to talk to him. 

“What was that, darling?” Harry managed to rasp out. 

Louis giggled softly; it resembled the sound of the twittering birds singing outside. “I said happy birthday! I know we can’t know for sure, but… I think today should be just about the time of year! Look,” Louis reached out his hand to help Harry up from the floor, “I fixed your old coat,” he removed it from his shoulders, placing it instead over Harry’s, “made breakfast,  _ and _ even did some work around the house.” 

When Harry showed no sign of moving or appreciating all the work Louis had put into this, Louis sighed frustratedly and tugged on his hand. “Come  _ look _ , Harry.” Little did Louis know, Harry was too busy looking at him in amazement to be bothered to look around at all the things that weren’t nearly as beautiful than Louis himself. 

\- - -

After that, their little dinner dates became one of their things, although Louis would brush it off as just being a nice little get together to treat themselves for having survived this long. Harry knew he meant it in all good fun, but it still worried him sometimes. While it was true their current living arrangement was living in constant danger, he liked to think they were stronger than that. As long as they were together, nothing could touch them. 

They spent months together, mostly joyful. Harry had become in charge of hunting and doing handy things while Louis stayed at home, doing the washing, cleaning, and berry picking. If the circumstances had been different, well, Harry thought they would make a beautiful family. He could only picture Louis cooking up a hearty dinner with all of their children surrounding him as he returned home from work. 

At that moment, Louis was setting out some of their laundry to dry, and turned around to smile at him, nothing but affection in his eyes. Harry imagined him with a child in his stomach;  _ their  _ child. 

Louis’ mouth moved but Harry heard no sound come out. The realization was hitting him; he was in love with Louis. His stomach dropped and his face fell. How could he let this happen, when he knew Louis could never possibly feel the same? As his love began walking closer to him, to repeat what he had just said that Harry had ignored, he assumed, he made a decision: he was going to tell Louis how he felt, because he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to hold his feelings in, and he never wanted to lie to him. 

Louis sat next to Harry on the log bench they had made, and cradled Harry’s chin in his hand. “Could go for a bit of a shave, yeah, love? I could do your hair as well.” Indeed, Harry had now grown quite of a beard and his hair now hung past his shoulders. 

“Yeah, hun, sure. I’ll get you too.”

Louis smiled at him, gave a chaste kiss on Harry’s cheek, and got up to fetch materials. 

“Louis - wait.” he grabbed his hand before he got too far. 

He turned, holding Harry’s hand between his own, kind curiosity gracing his features. Suddenly, looking into Louis’ eyes, Harry felt more confident than he ever had before. 

“Louis - I,” he swallowed dryly, “I love you.”

Pure shock was the first thing Louis registered. And then -

Harry  _ oofed  _ as the entirety of Louis body weight knocked him over as he threw himself around him, sending them both to the ground. 

Harry could barely process what the hell just happened before he realized that Louis was… happy. He had set himself up against Harry’s chest, smiling down at him. 

“Wha…?” he croaked out. The wind had been knocked out of him from the collision. 

Louis giggled from above him, almost hysterically. “I love you too, you absolute dolt.”

“Really?!” Harry began laughing alongside him as they both became a hysterical mess, not even caring about all the noise they were making. 

Louis wasn’t sure what was next for them, but he was willing to give love one more try. 

\- - -

Louis frustratedly messed with his fringe as he got dressed for the evening. The newly joined couple didn’t exactly have the clothing to dress up how they usually would while going out on a first date, but they could certainly try their best. On Harry’s last journey out, he snuck into abandoned houses and raided their closets, much to Louis’ disdain. However, at that moment, wearing a well-fitted vest, shirt, bow tie, coat, and trousers, he didn’t find himself to be too worried about stealing others’ clothing anymore. 

The butterflies in his stomach didn’t stop even after Louis had decided he looked suitable enough. Admittedly, this was his first real date with anyone. Sure, he had had little crushes back in his schooling days, and had had a peck on the cheek or even lips every once in a while but this was something new altogether! What made him even more nervous was that he had never gone… _all the way_ before. Louis shivered anticipatorily at the thought. 

There was a soft knock on the door where Louis was changing. “You ready, love?” Harry called out gently. 

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” Louis took in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. It would be fine. It was only Harry, right? 

Stepping outside the door, he ran into Harry, who was still standing there. Just as soon as he had sucked it in, Louis’ breath left him in a whoosh. He looked positively handsome and dapper as ever, wearing a getup much similar to Louis. He was pleased to see Harry had even shaved for their date; he cleaned up quite well!

“You look…” Harry breathed. 

Louis blushed. “Not as good as you.”

Harry scoffed, and offered his elbow. Together, they walked out of their little cabin into the wilderness. Louis expected them to stop right in front of their yard, as they always did with their dinners. To his surprise, Harry kept walking, tugging him along lightly when Louis stopped in his tracks. 

“Is this the part where you take me out to the middle of the woods and kill me for good?” Louis joked. Hopefully. 

Harry chuckled lightly. “Just a little further. Thought I’d take us somewhere a little more romantic for our first official date, considering the circumstances.”

Louis hummed suspiciously, wondering where Harry could possibly be taking him. They couldn’t be going out into the city, could they? No, Harry knew him better than that. The place where they go to pick most of their berries? Sure, it could be quite pretty in the right light, but going out into the middle of the woods couldn’t be safe at this hour. The only other place he could think of was -

“Oh,” Louis sighed out dreamily. The waterfall. Except it didn’t look like where they usually did their fishing and washing. Bright flowers Harry had found goodness knows where were laid beautifully all across the space, and dozens of candles led them to a soft looking blanket where their food seemed to already be waiting. Harry had to have come out here at such an early hour to decorate this place so without Louis knowing! 

“Shall we?” Harry led him to the laid out blanket, and they sat down across from each other. Their dinner for the night would be fish along with some cheese and milk Harry must have found. 

All at once, it hit Louis how overdramatic and corny this all was. Behind a bite of his already-cooked fish, he choked down a nervous laugh. Harry raised an eyebrow humorously at him, but said nothing, smiling at him fondly. 

Louis took a look around at the scenery once again, taking it all in. The romantic candles, the beauty and chill breeze coming from the waterfall, the colorful flowers bringing the whole scene together…

With no warning, behind a sip of his milk, Louis began giggling uncontrollably, having to cover his mouth to prevent all the liquid from spilling out. Harry lowered the meat he was about to pop into his mouth, instead laughing along with Louis, happy Louis was happy, but also confused as to what was so funny. 

“Love, you know I love to see your beautiful smile, but what in the world is so funny?”

Louis’ giggles subside softly as he finally catches his breath. “What you’ve done tonight is lovely, Harry. It’s beautiful out here. But,” he giggled softly, “isn’t this a bit much? It’s still just me; you know I don’t need this! I’d still love you if we were at a high class restaurant or, well, in the middle of the woods,” he laughed. 

The fond smile returned to Harry’s face. “I didn’t do this to impress you, Lou, or to even make you wanna put out tonight.” Louis made a scandalized face, to which they both laughed at. “Just want you to know how much you mean to me. And, well, I love seeing how happy you get when we do things like this.”

Indeed, despite Louis' claims that he didn’t need this, his eyes sparkled in the moonlight with joy. “Well,” Louis began toying with his food again, “with the way tonight is going,” he looked down shyly, “maybe I just might put out.”

Harry choked on his beverage unattractively. His obnoxious coughs echoed throughout the small space and into the trees. 

“Haz, please, don’t cause a scene,” Louis whispered through a perfectly calm bite of his fish.

Harry’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “You expect me to be calm after you say something like that?” he hissed quietly. 

Louis sipped quietly on his milk, finishing every drop, wiping his mouth clean afterwards. “I am a bit nervous, y’know. I’ve never done, well,  _ anything  _ with anyone else before.” he admitted, face beet red. 

Now this surprised Harry. Dinner now forgotten, he turned all of his attention toward Louis. “You mean… I’d be your first?” he couldn’t help but feel himself hardening in his fancy pants at the prospect of being the first to touch Louis in the most intimate way you can be with a person. 

If possible, Louis turned even redder. “I mean, I’ve kissed people and all that you know? Nothing more than just a little peck, but still. What, like you’re any better?”

Harry couldn’t help it; he laughed. Ignoring Louis’ look of annoyance, he shared his experience. “I’ve done just about everything except going all the way. Just haven’t found the right person,” his eyes twinkled as he brought his gaze to Louis’. Louis looked away, rolling his eyes but smiling. Harry wanted to marry him right now. He wanted to find a ring, the biggest most expensive ring there was, and give it to him right now, so that Louis could be his forever.

Stuck in his own daydreams of their love being endless forever, he barely even noticed Louis crawling over on his knees over to him, and plonking himself down on his lap, arms thrown over his shoulders. 

“Hey,” Louis said shyly. 

“Hey, dork,” Harry smiled, “what’s up?” Louis punched him lightly on the arm. 

“Listen.” Louis seemed more nervous than he had the whole night, which was saying something. So Harry paid him attention, wrapping his arms around his waist. Playing with the loose curls at the back of Harry’s neck, Louis took a deep breath, and looked him seriously in the eyes.

“Why don’t you… put some of your experience to good use.”

Louis didn’t have to explain what he meant, and for that he was thankful. With no hesitance, as if he had just been waiting for Louis to say the word, Harry meshed their lips together gently, kissing him slowly at first. Louis squeaked in surprise, but pulled him closer, trying to keep up. Despite Harry’s very chill and relaxing pace, Louis was only getting more wound up, kissing him hard and fast, as though the world was about to end.

Harry chuckled as he pulled away. Meanwhile, Louis looked sad and confused.

“I’m terrible, aren’t I?” he mumbled into Harry’s chest, embarrassed. 

“No, baby, listen, you’re cute. It’s just - you’re a little too excited, alright? We have all the time in the world, love, let’s just go nice and slow right now.” he tipped Louis’ chin up with his hand, looking into his deep blue eyes. Louis nodded shyly, returning to his original position of his hands over Harry’s shoulders. Before they continued again, though, Harry ran a hand down Louis’ back, reassuring him. “It’s okay. Just relax. Let me take the lead.” And with that, he leaned in again, opening Louis’ mouth with his own, reveling in the little sounds he made.

Their make out session only got more heated as Louis got the hang of moving his lips against someone else’s. Feeling that Louis was slowly getting more comfortable, Harry slipped his tongue into Louis’ mouth, hoping to make him a little more wet in more ways than one. Surprised by the sudden intrusion, Louis gasped softly into Harry’s mouth, but didn’t pull away, instead grinding slightly down on Harry’s lap, causing them both to sigh in ecstasy. 

Feeling brave, Louis reached down to grab the slowly growing bugle in Harry’s pants, causing him to groan, and grab the offending hand, bringing it to a stop. With a  smacking sound, their lips parted as Harry grabbed Louis chin in his hands, forcing their eyes to lock. 

“I- we- we can’t,” Harry choked out painfully. At the sight of Louis’ face dropping, moving to pull away, Harry grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave. Please.”

“But… why?” Louis asked shyly, looking down in embarrassment. 

“Chin up, love,” Harry titled his head up from his chest. “I- you have no idea how much I want to! It's not you- we just. We don't have stuff. I don't want to hurt you.”

“Oh,” Louis breathed in understanding. Suddenly, a wicked sort of look passed his features. “I'm pretty sure… we have some olive oil left from the other night…”

Harry's eyes widened in understanding. “Are you sure?”

Louis nodded enthusiastically, more sure than ever. “Please.”

That was all the confirmation Harry needed. Without hesitation, Harry scooped Louis up in his arms, standing up in one step. Deciding that cleaning up their mess could wait until the next morning, Harry walked as fast as he could back to the cabin, while still making sure no noise was made.

Arms wrapped around Harry's neck, Louis began to bite at Harry's neck, unable to contain his enthusiasm. Wanting to reciprocate the loving actions but unable to, Harry squeezed his hand in response. Perhaps later he would be able to squeeze something else on his curvy body.

At last, Harry was able to open their door, finally able to practically run into their shared bedroom. Setting Louis down carefully on their makeshift bed of piled blankets and coats, Harry became acutely aware that this was really happening. 

Standing back from where Louis was looking at him with dark eyes, Harry thought about his next move. “Um,” he stammered stupidly, “where-where is the oil?”

Louis giggled from his spot from his spot on the floor. “It should be in the inventory box? Where we keep our cooking materials.”

“Right,” Harry replied, cheeks now a faint pink. “I’ll- just be right back, then.”

Stumbling his way to the kitchen, harry mumblrd inaudibly to himself how  _ stupid, stupid, stupid  _ he must look. Nonetheless, he snatched the olive oil, stumbling his way back awkwardly.

The sight he saw when he came back into their bedroom was breathtaking. In his disappearance, Louis had stripped himself of all his clothes, lying patiently in all of his naked glory.

“ _ Oh _ ,” Harry breathed, nearly dropping the bottle of olive oil in shock. Recovering quickly, Harry crawled next to Louis on their makeshift bed, still fully clothed. 

Going to place a hand on Louis’ thigh, Harry found that he was shaking like a leaf. Seeing the worried look on Harry’s face, Louis spoke quickly. 

“Ignore me, I’m just- I’m being dumb. I’m nervous.”

“Heyyyyy that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about,” harry joked weakly, hoping to ease some of his nervousness. Louis rolled his eyes at him, though a small smile played on his lips. “Seriously though,” Harry continued, “we don’t have to do this.”

“I think,” Louis sighed out shyly, “I think just… go slow.”

“I can do that,” Harry said easily. An idea seemed to dawn on him. “Turn around, yeah?”

Confused, Louis frowned but complied and laid on his stomach. He didn’t know “going slow” meant getting straight into it. 

Unable to see behind him, Louis jumped slightly when he felt hands on his shoulders. “Relax,” he heard a voice say. Large but gentle hands made their way down his back, massaging lightly. Despite his nerves still being at an all time high, Louis could already feel himself calming down. The hands drifted lower. Louis closed his eyes almost unwillingly, relaxed. 

At its last destination, he felt two hands land on his ass. Surprised, Louis’ eyes flew open. Before he could question Harry’s motives, however, all the breath was forcibly knocked out of him. 

Behind him, Harry had just spread Louis’ cheeks apart, giving a tentative lick to Louis’ hole. Trusting Louis to let him know if something was wrong, he took his breathless gasp as a good sign. Deciding to get braver with his licks, Harry dragged his tongue atop Louis’ hole, earning a loud moan from the smaller boy. 

At the noise, Harry’s hand immediately wrapped around to clap his hand around Louis’ mouth. They were both silent for a moment, making sure the coast was clear, before Harry  _ shhed  _ Louis gently. Harry went back to his task, but his hand never left Louis’ mouth. 

Despite the happening that had just occurred, Harry didn’t go any gentler on Louis, properly eating him out until Louis was practically drooling over Harry’s hand. It wasn’t long until Louis had reached his point, screaming out as he reached his release. It was his first time; Harry wasn’t surprised. If anything, he was pleased to have done the honors of giving Louis his first orgasm. 

The coast officially clear, Harry removed his hand from Louis’ mouth. Breathing heavily in soft pants, Louis turned around, cheeks flushed a pretty pink and lips bitten red. By the look on his face, he was seemingly amazed. “What was  _ that _ ?”

“That, my darling, is known as ‘rimming’. I take it you enjoyed yourself?”

“Yeah, I- it was perfect,” he smiled softly. 

“Hopefully there’s a lot more where that came from,” Harry winked.

Louis punched him. 

\- - -

During one of Harry’s many adventures of going out into the city, he admitted to Louis that he had snuck into an abandoned house and retrieved something he thought Louis might like, or, at the very least, would keep him busy. From his newly-mended coat pockets, he retrieved a leather-bound journal with a fresh jar of ink and feather quill. Louis just about threw himself at Harry in absolute delight; back at home, he loved to write poetry.

Though he also couldn’t help but feel a bit sad as he flipped through the empty pages, wondering what would’ve become if circumstances had been different, what stories could’ve been told through someone else’s words.

The first time Louis wrote in the journal was when Harry had left a little earlier in the morning, right after they had eaten breakfast. He was a little too shy to write with Harry looking over his shoulder just yet, and so he took it as his chance to start. Excitedly lying on the floor with his journal, quill, and ink at hand, he began:

**_June 1, 1796_ **

_ It’s been at least a year since we’ve been out here, just the two of us. I think it must be around June by now, though it’s just about impossible to be sure. I wonder if Harry would be able to find a calendar…  _

_ Anyhow, living conditions have become more comfortable within the past few months; we even have our own little home! Harry does most of the dirty work; hunting, chopping wood, going out into the city, and I do most of the housework. Though it makes me feel bad sometimes to put so much onto Harry, I think we both like it better that way. I do wish Harry would be more careful sometimes; the way he goes into town so often, he’s sure to get hurt one of these days! He’s lucky I have training in nursing.  _

_ Harry should be home soon, now; the sun is at its peak. I’ll make a promise, though, to use this as often as I can in homage to those who lost their lives due to the evil that has infected this town.  _

_ Love, Louis _

Though his handwriting had become a little shaky and sloppy due to lack of usage, he was ready to change that. Louis then made a vow to himself, to fill these empty pages with words so that no one would ever forget the hell journey they had gone through and that the person whose words should’ve filled this journal up would not have died in vain. 

**_June 3, 1796_ **

_ Sorry, I’ve already missed a day! I think I’ll only write in here when something exciting happens; I don’t want to run out of ink too soon! Harry and I went down to the waterfall together yesterday, where we had our first date, and needless to say, things got a little heated. In the middle of it all, though, Harry backed away and insisted that he had to get to town before it got too dark. As a little piece of revenge, I pushed him into the waterfall, fully clothed! Ha! That’ll teach him to leave me hanging again. _

_ Love, Louis _

**_June 10, 1796_ **

_ Harry’s out again, so I figured I’d take this time to talk about what we do all day. First thing when we wake up, we go hunting for breakfast, and bring it all back to camp. Sometimes I’ll help Harry skin and roast our meal, but usually I just watch. I find it fascinating to see him at work; he does it with such speed and precision, you’d think he’d been doing it his whole life. The same process follows for lunch and dinner time. In between, we’ll either hunt some more, scavenge the woods for berries or wood, practice what to do in a situation where we run into something dangerous, or, well, in my case, wait around until Harry gets home from the city. I’ve nearly learned how to make my own blanket! I only hope Harry manages to find more yarn to complete it. The reason why I won’t go into the city with Harry is, well, sort of complicated. As much as he’s begged me to go along with him, venture into somewhere outside of the same old woodland, I just can’t risk going out there again. As much as I hate to admit, I’m afraid. Maybe I’ll share the story here, someday, if I ever find the courage. Harry should nearly be home now, so I think I’ll wait outside for him; I think he’ll be pleased.  _

_ Love, Louis _

**_June 18, 1796_ **

_ Yesterday was different, you could say. I went to the edge of the woods near the city for the first time since… well, the last time Harry and I went out together. Harry was going out to look for materials again, when he asked if I wanted to go with him. It’s the first time he’s ever asked, and he looked really excited, and so I couldn’t possibly say no to him. Long story short, the second we got into the city, I chickened out; I couldn’t risk seeing my family again when I’m so close to recovering. Harry seemed a little upset with me on the walk back, but he just told me he wants to go on a date with me again soon! I think we’re okay.  _

_ Love, Louis _

**_July 1, 1796_ **

_ Happy July! I think! Harry took me out on another date the other day. It was beautiful; he was a perfect gentleman, unlike our first, ha! He tripped and fell over a tree root on our way back, though, and ripped a big hole in his coat, right where the elbow is. He got a nasty scratch there, and even bled a little bit, but it’s a good thing I always remind Harry to look for first aid items when he goes out! I’ve patched him all up, and he’s in good health now! I did give him a little punch on the arm for being so clumsy, though. He can’t go getting himself hurt; I swear I’d never have made it this far without him. _

_ Love, Louis _

**_July 16, 1796_ **

_ I feel bad. Harry confessed to me earlier that he wanted to take me out to the city, show me what I’m missing, go on a real date. I probably was a little too hard on him; I immediately disagreed, not even giving it a second thought. Harry was understanding, but I could tell he was disappointed. I’m so sick and tired of upsetting him, but I just don’t know. He’s always been more brave and willing to take risks than me. Maybe… I’ll try. Just maybe. _

_ Love, Louis _

**_July 31, 1796_ **

_ After a long almost three weeks, Harry finally asked again. It should be about August now. I didn’t want to be the one to bring up the subject, because, honestly, I’m still afraid. When he asked again, I don’t think he was even listening. I had to say I would go with him twice before his neck just about snapped to look at me to make sure he heard me right! He was so happy. It was a good feeling to know I made him feel like that. I think he could tell I was still uncomfortable, though, so we only took a short trip to look at the eerie sight that the once booming London once was, now barren. We had a good time, but I think I still prefer it back home.  _

_ Love, Louis _

**_August 14, 1796_ **

_ Harry confessed something to me today that made me really happy. After all of this is over and we go back to our normal lives, he said he’d like to court me. Of course I said yes! I only wish someone out there is looking for a cure so we can get started already! I’m so excited for our future together. _

_ Love, Louis _

**_August 26, 1796_ **

_ I haven’t gone with Harry to the city since that one day, and I’m beginning to be thankful for that fact, along with a little worried. Harry came home yesterday with a cut on his face, and who knows where else. When I questioned him, he brushed it off as nothing. Of course, he could’ve just fallen again, but, I can’t help but worry. Maybe I’m being silly. Harry wouldn't hide things from me… would he? _

_ Louis _

**_September 5, 1796_ **

_ Harry left the house today by giving me a long hug and telling me he loved me. Something is going on. I was willing to pass it off if it only happened once, but Harry came home today with more scratches, this time on his arms, too. Harry doesn’t have to tell me if he doesn't want to, but he could at least let me help him with his wounds.  _

_ Louis _

**_September 13, 1796_ **

_ Harry told me today he’s going to stop going out to the city as often. I’m not sure if this was meant to reassure me, but it’s somehow made my worry skyrocket. _

_ Louis _

**_September ? 1796_ **

_ I’ve snuck out of the bedroom to write this - Harry has officially decided for us that we won’t be going through the forest the next few days, “for safety”. Since when has Harry cared about his own safety? _

_ Louis _

**_September ? 1796_ **

_ There’s something rustling outside, and it doesn’t sound like an animal. Harry told me to not go outside, and we’re hiding out in the house. _

**_October ?_ **

_ It might be around October now. I don’t know. We haven’t left the house for two days now. It’s a good thing we always keep extra food on hand. Harry still hasn’t told me what’s going on. He can’t hide for much longer, though. There’s only so much you can hide when you’re stuck in the same house as someone.  _

**_October ?_ **

_ Harry said it’s safe to go outside again. He’s been avoiding me. Giving me strange looks. He’s planning something, I know it, I just wish I knew what.  _

**_October ?_ **

_ I feel like I barely see Harry these days. Even when I see him, it’s like he’s not really there.  _

  
  


\- - -

Louis was currently tidying up the house, as there wasn’t much else to do when your boyfriend was being paranoid about what lurked outside. What made his worry even worse was that it was usually the other way around; Louis was supposed to be the worrier! 

While picking up a heap of dirty clothes off of the bedroom floor, Harry quietly slipped into the room, startling Louis when he turned around, causing him to drop the pile. Neither of them laughed, or made any sound at all. The air had been tense between the two of them since the day Harry came home with scratches on his face. 

Desperate to escape the silent room, Louis bent down to gather all of the dropped articles of clothing, when Harry spoke to him for the first time that day. 

“Lou, can I speak with you for a minute? It’s, uh, kinda about something serious.”

Louis huffed, dropping the pile of clothes once again, standing to face Harry. The distance between them seemed astronomical in that moment, though in reality, it was only a few feet. 

“Yeah, Harry, what do you need?”

Harry shuffled his feet, taking one step closer. “I’m not really sure how to say this…”

“Well, I’d like to clean this room up some time today, so…”

Harry squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to see Louis’ face when he told him. “I think we should move.” He held his breath as he waited for a reaction.

Unfortunately, Harry didn’t have to have his eyes open to hear Louis’ sheer shock. “We should… what?”

Harry exhaled, opening his eyes, which only made it worse, Louis’ disappointed face staring at him right back. “Listen, Louis-”

“No, Harry, I’m just confused because - we spent  _ months _ working toward this place we now call home and we have a good income of food, water, cleaning supplies  _ and  _ materials and now you just want to - abandon it? Why?”

His damn temper. Harry ran a frustrated hand down the side of his face. “Louis, I- I _can’t live like this anymore!_ If there’s people out there still, which, there has to be, we have to find them. I’m losing my mind out here in the middle of nowhere with no one but-” he cut himself off. 

Louis’ face was stony. “What, Harry? Only  _ me? _ _ ”  _ he laughed bitterly. “I’m just not enough for you, anymore, am I?”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” Harry sighed. “We don’t even need to go back into the city, alright? Who’s to say America isn’t affected? Or even one town over? We could live in a  _ real  _ house together, Louis, don’t you understand?”

Louis huffed; he was starting to get angry, too. “That’s not how it works, Harry. Where do you think all those sick people went, if they’re not here? That disease has probably spread all around the world by now; it’s been over a year!”

It was time for Harry to be brave and say what he needed to say in this moment; he would never get another opportunity to say this without being stuck here in this stuffy cabin forever.

“It’s gotten worse. The city; it’s not safe anymore. And the woods out here aren’t any better. All those marks on my body - I had to fight to get away each time I went into the city to get things we need to  _ survive _ . That thing outside the house the other week - that was one of those monsters, I’m sure of it.”

Louis had now gone very pale. Silently, he sat on the hard bedroom floor, burying his head in his hands. Harry took that as his cue to come closer, sitting next to him on the floor, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“Listen, I - I want to leave as little as you do, alright? I’ve loved being here with you for the past two years. But it’s just not safe anymore. I need to keep us safe.”

At last, Louis looked up from his hands, wiping his eyes weakly. He couldn’t seem to make himself look Harry in the eye. “Why didn’t you tell me.” It wasn’t a question. 

There was silence for a moment. Curious, and a little annoyed, Louis finally turned to face Harry. He looked embarrassed, almost. He noticed Louis watching him and sighed, realizing he wouldn’t be getting out of this one. 

“I didn’t want to scare you, alright? I guess I hoped it would go away, that everything would go back to normal, but. It only got worse.”

“If you had told me earlier, we could’ve left sooner, and there would’ve been less risk of being killed while traveling,” Louis whined. 

“You don’t think I know that?!” Harry’s nostrils flared. Louis frowned at him, and he sighed. “Sorry. This isn’t your fault, it’s mine.”

Louis spared him a bittersweet smile. “Yeah, a bit. But it’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”

Harry gave him a small kiss on the cheek, the first bit of physical affection they’d had in days. In spite of himself, he blushed. “Thanks. I know I’ve been a bit shit the past few weeks. But I’ll make it up to you, promise. You wanna go to California? We’ll go to California. I’ll build a boat if I have to.”

Louis finally let himself giggle; Harry was being his stupid self again. That didn’t necessarily mean he forgave him, not just yet, but he was on the right track. 

Recovering from his brief state of carefree joy, Louis made himself sober up again. “So now what?”’

“Now… we start a new adventure together.”

  
  


\- - -

Louis was silent as Harry packed up all their belongings and prepared for when he was to go out into the city one last time so they would have enough materials to survive before they set up camp. And then, they would go off to explore the unknown. Despite the fact that him and Harry had “made up” the night before, there was still a part of Louis that was still annoyed with him. He knew Harry had a somewhat good reason for not telling him what he knew, but also, in a way, he _lied_ to him and made him feel as though he were a liability. _Don’t tell Louis anything or else he may just pass out from fear at the thought_ _,_ he thought to himself bitterly. 

Harry stood just outside the cabin, stuffing the last of his weapons in his bag. Louis continued to watch him silently, Harry’s old coat that he had had to mend up countless times loosely worn around his shoulders. A worry line appeared between his eyebrows. Bag sufficiently packed, Harry looked up with a smile, stalking over to where Louis stood with his arms crossed. 

“I’m about to head off. I should be home by our usual dinner time, but if I’m not, go ahead and start without me. We should be fine, though, we’ve made good time today, and we should be out of London by tonight,” he finished with a beam. 

Louis looked away into the dense trees; he couldn’t pretend to be happy, not even for Harry. A similar worry line to Louis’ appeared between Harry’s eyebrows. 

“Hey… you’re not still upset over last night, are you? I mean,” he laughed once, as if the thought was preposterous, “I thought we decided this was best for both of us.”

Louis huffed out a breath, disturbing part of the fringe that had fallen in his eyes due to him avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. It’s not just leaving my home behind, Harry, it’s leaving… everything I’ve ever known.”

Though Louis kept a calm and non-threatening demeanor, Harry didn’t let that stop him from getting riled up. “You need to forget about here, alright? The people you knew, that place you used to call home - they don’t exist anymore. And they probably never will again. So while I’m gone, why don’t you actually _think_ about this and - and see my point of view, for once?”

Louis didn’t want to have to start this up again, but Harry was pushing all of his buttons and he knew it. “And what is that supposed to mean?  _ For once _ _?  _ We always do what you want to do!”

A twig snapped in the distance, and all at once, they both went deathly silent; they hadn’t realized how loud they had gotten. Unconsciously, Harry had stepped in front of Louis, one hand pushing Louis so he was behind him, the other searching for a weapon that was slung over his back in his infamous weapon bag. 

They waited for a minute, neither moving a muscle. Another five minutes passed, nothing but their heavy breathing taking up space. Slowly but surely, the tenseness that had settled in the air dissipated, Harry shoving his weapon back in his bag awkwardly, as it was still slung behind his back. 

Harry turned to look at Louis sheepishly. “I should go. The sooner I get back, the sooner we can get out of here. Get inside, alright? And stay safe.” he looked like he wanted to walk over, give him a kiss, show some affection, but was too afraid to cross a line. With a sad frown, Harry turned to walk into the dense trees, into the city one last time.

“Wait,” Louis choked out involuntarily. Harry turned back around, hope written over his features. Louis carefully removed the old coat from around his shoulders, holding it out to its rightful owner. “Take this. There’s a chill in the air.”

Harry’s hand reached out to accept the offering, when he suddenly hesitated, and the hand pulled back to its rightful place next to his side. “I’ll be fine. It’s not that cold. Put it back on if you get chilly, alright? I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Similar to the night before, Harry gave a small peck to Louis’ cheek as a goodbye. And with that, he trekked off into the woods.

Silently, Louis went into their little cabin for what would possibly be the last day. Louis wasn’t a religious person, but when he reentered the house, he silently prayed for Harry to come back to him in one piece. 

\- - -

Harry took his usual journey through the woods, head spinning, thoughts full. Him and Louis had never had a problem that lasted this long before, or that was this serious. He knew they would make it through this, and that Louis had a big enough heart that he would find it in him to forgive him eventually, but knowing that he was still obviously upset with him stung. He didn’t know if a big grand gesture would be able to cut it, this time. 

Thoughts full of Louis, Harry stopped paying attention to just about how loud he was being, only letting his intuition lead him to the city as he stomped through the twig-ridden land. Unknown to him, a large shadow lurked somewhere near, mouth salivating in anticipation. 

About ten minutes from now, Harry would be near the edge of the city, he’d get what they needed, and then they’d get out of here. A nearby bush rustled.  _ Just a squirrel _ , he thought. From the bush, a low, guttural growl emerged.  _ Just an  _ angry  _ squirrel _ _ ,  _ he thought, but with less confidence, fear creeping in his senses. Not bothering to stop in his tracks, Harry reached behind him to grab an axe, newly sharpened.  _ Just in case.  _

_ Five minutes until the city _ , he repeated in his mind. Due to his fast pace, he would probably end up getting there in even less time, though the loud ruckus he was causing certainly wasn’t helping the nearby rustling trees, snapping twigs, and human-like groans. Louis was the only thing on his mind at that moment, though, as he ignored all of these noises. If anything, they only fueled them to get back to camp faster. 

A sort of hissing sound emerged from behind a tree. Harry didn’t look, staring straight ahead, clutching to his axe like a lifeline. If he pretended he didn’t hear them, maybe they’d go away. Then, the last thing he wanted to hear happened.

“ _ H-Huuuuuuungry.” _

Abandoning any thoughts of keeping a calm demeanor, Harry broke out into a sprint, not even headed toward the city anymore. He could outrun them, confuse them. If he took many different paths, maybe they’d get confused and give up. But alas, footsteps that sounded much faster than his own gained behind him. Taking a glance behind his shoulder was a mistake, as just then, he tripped over another damned tree root, sprawling on his face. 

_ Louis _ _ ,  _ he thought desperately as the monster’s shadows hovered above his paralyzed body. 

All went black. 

\- - -

The sun had already set when Louis left the cabin again into the cold autumn night. Their dinner time had come and went hours ago, and Harry still hadn’t arrived home; the moon now sat high in the sky, and the small chill in the air from that afternoon had escalated into a bone-freezing cold. Nonetheless, Louis wrapped Harry’s tattered old coat tightly around his body, and trekked through the woodland. Harry was supposed to return home hours ago and Louis was now beyond worried. If Harry wasn’t going to come himself, Louis was going to go searching for him. 

It hit Louis as soon as he looked over his shoulder and found that their little house that they had built together was no longer in eyesight, blocked by trees; this was the first time Louis had been out on his own like this since before he met Harry, all those years ago. Leaving that frightening thought behind, he powered through the low-hanging branches and weeds, determined. He was  _ brave.  _ He was  _ strong _ . He was done with hiding behind bigger shadows; he was going to find Harry, and they would both fight their way out of here if they had to. 

Though he hadn’t been along with Harry many times, he knew the correct paths to take to get to the city. He assumed he must have gotten at least that far. Unless… Louis involuntarily shivered, whether from the cold or from more sinister thoughts he couldn’t tell you. 

Now that Louis listened to his surroundings, though, he noticed something strange, or at least very unlike how things usually were. The wilderness around him, that was usually filled with life and sounds of nature, was now deathly silent. Not a chirp from a bird or even a rustle from a bush could be heard. Louis stopped in his tracks, listening hard, to no avail. A shiver ran down his spine; the sheer silence didn’t seem like a good sign, somehow. Despite his bad feeling, he continued on his journey. 

Almost to the very edge of the woods where you could look out at the city, Louis had to resist from calling out Harry’s name, at a loss. He was out there somewhere, he knew it, he just… wasn’t sure where. Harry wouldn't just up and abandon him when they were at their worst, would he? 

As he was about to head into the city for the first time by himself in two years, he heard a barely distinguishable _clank_ echo through the trees to his right. An involuntary gasp escaped Louis’ lips as he whipped around to stare into the dark path in which the sound had emitted. 

“Harry?” he breathed as he took a careful step closer into the seemingly endless abyss. Nothing but the heavy sound of his own breathing responded. Heart beating out of his chest, Louis slowly began to investigate, walking fully into the path he had never taken previously. 

It was obvious that this was the road less traveled by; while usually Louis would already have to tread lightly, he could hardly take one step on this path without causing a ruckus of crunching leaves and rustling bushes by the twigs that snagged on his already hole-ridden clothing. Sweating out of pure fear now, Louis began scanning the ground desperately, for anything, any sign that Harry was here at some point, or, at the very least, alive. 

And then, by some blessing or by just plain dumb luck, a flash of the light of metal appeared at the corner of Louis’ eye, causing him to crunch down particularly hard on a bundle of leaves, searching desperately for the flash of metal again. 

At long last, the dark brown weapon bag that Harry always wore around his neck caught Louis’ eye, weapons spilling all about. Louis crouched down next to it. He should be happier, he thought; this was a sign that Harry had at least gotten this far. But there was something wrong… this was Harry’s bag, but alas, there was no Harry. Carefully placing all of the weapons back into their rightful place, one in particular caught his eye; the axe. Unlike the others, it was strewn a few feet away from the opened bag, as though it had been thrown. 

Curiously, Louis straightened himself and walked the few feet over to the axe, taking the weapons bag with him by slinging it over his shoulders. He squatted down next to the suspicious item and began to inspect it, picking it up and turning it over with his hands. In the less than twenty-four hours that Louis had seen Harry and all of his weapons last, his axe looked different. Not in dramatic ways in which anyone would be able to notice, but in ways that Louis, someone who had cleaned and cared for these weapons for years now, would notice. 

For one, though the weapon had only been cleaned that same morning, it looked as though it had already rusted over, dust and grime covering almost the entirety of the axe. Secondly, it looked as though it had either hit something very hard, or someone very strong had actually  _ bent  _ the metal of the axe. Finally, so small that Louis had barely even noticed, there were small dots of blood all over the head of the axe; they could almost be confused to be bits of mud, but as Louis swiped his thumb over one of the dots, it came back red.

Louis idly wondered where the blood had come from, and why there didn’t seem to be any blood anywhere else, when he noticed a small puddle of blood not far from where he discovered the axe, and a trail of it leading into a cluttered, messy looking piece of the woods. 

As afraid and unwilling as a small part of him was, there was a bigger part of him that knew this wasn’t a coincidence; he wasn’t an idiot. Those were Harry’s weapons, it had to be Harry’s blood, and he must be in some sort of trouble; otherwise, where could he have gone? Putting his love and devotion above everything else, he ventured into the part of the woods he never dared to explore before, pushing away low-hanging branches in his way. 

He followed the blood trail for what had to be miles, all the while feeling his hope dwindling as the blood slowly thinned, until he arrived at a small clearing where there were no more trails to follow. 

The coat around Louis’ shoulders now felt heavier than ever as he stood in the clearing, at a loss to what to resort to next. All around him, there were three different paths he could take, any one of them having a chance of being where Harry was taken, or, Louis cringed at the thought, dragged. Taking a chance, an absolute shot in the dark, Louis chose the middle path, willing to spend the whole night searching for Harry if he had to. After all, he couldn’t get any more lost in this endless woodland, could he?

After hours of aimlessly searching and only getting himself more frustrated, Louis decided to head back to camp once he saw the sun rise up on the horizon. He would be able to find Harry more efficiently once he got a good night’s rest. 

\- - -

_ Black. That was all he saw in his mind.  _

\- - -

Louis awoke early the next morning, despite the fact he had barely gotten any sleep. After snagging a good meal and getting ready for the day, he set off back into the woods, determined. 

\- - -

_ For just a moment, a flash of color joined the endless pit of black, but not in a pleasant way. It was as if he was stuck in a lightning storm, all the colors too bright and vivid for his liking. Despite himself, it frightened him, enough to the point where everything went black again.  _

_ \- - - _

Louis braved through the woods another day, this time taking the other two paths. He had an entire day to kill, after all. He couldn’t help but wonder, though, where all of the presumed infected people were. Thinking back on that one period where Harry refused to let either of them leave the cabin, Louis thought he’d be running into trouble left and right. Quite the contrary, though he had been being careful, he hadn’t so much as heard a suspicious footstep behind him. Shaking away his troublesome thoughts, Louis continued on his search.

\- - -

_ The pain swelling inside of him only got worse by the day. _

_ Pain.  _

_ Agony. _

_ Hunger. _

_ He had to be dead right now. In no mortal world could such a level of pain be possible. He was dead, dying right now.  _

_ \- - - _

It had officially been a week since Harry had packed up all of their belongings and set off into the city, where he then disappeared mysteriously. Louis now stood inside their cabin, considering his options; indeed, he never imagined himself in a situation such as this when Harry announced that they would be leaving London. 

Unfortunately, the past few days weren’t as peaceful as the first few when Harry had first disappeared; Louis finally understood why Harry had been so frightened all those weeks ago, which now seemed like lifetimes away. Louis was small, so he could manage to hide and be quiet if need be, but he only went out for the necessities now. Though he wanted to check the city just in case, it was now too much of a risk. He saw what had happened to Harry, and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake. As to adjusting to surviving on his own now…

Louis could fight, of course; all of his alone time with Harry’s expertise wasn’t for nothing. However, with how infested the woods have become, a monster hidden behind every tree, he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it out by himself with only one pair of hands fighting them all off. 

At this point, Louis had accepted that Harry was gone. Whether he was completely dead or not yet he did not know, but at the very least, he knew he was never going to see him again. Louis took pity on himself and allowed himself one day to mourn, crying into the worn-out coat that Harry didn’t take with him; the last piece of him that Louis had left. 

After that, though, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and walked back into the woodlands. He was going to need to be stocked and ready, especially if the infected weren’t planning on leaving any time soon. 

\- - -

_ It was a different kind of hurt, this time. A need for more. His head was pounding, though his heart stayed still in his chest.  _

_ But in order to fulfill his needs, to get more, MORE, MORE.  _

_ He first had to wake up. _

_ Wake up. _

He turned over in his sleep, annoyed. There seemed to be a very annoying fly on his shoulder, screaming at him to wake up.

_ Wake up. _

_ No, don’t think I will, thanks _ , he smugly thought to himself.

“WAKE UP!”

Harry opened his eyes.

_ \- - - _

In only the time span of a week, Louis had felt himself changing, perhaps for the better. He didn’t blame himself for being afraid in the very beginning, when this had all happened, no; it was natural. It was a scene, an atmosphere he had never been a part of before, and he was fighting for his life, something he had never had to do before. Today, however, Louis ventured into the city of London with his head high, weapons bag slung over his shoulder. He didn’t have the confidence to leave this all behind just yet, but he knew, with time, he could get there. And going into the city like Harry did was a wonderful first step, in his opinion. 

He stepped onto the cobblestone street, now unfamiliar with the texture of feel of it underneath his feet. On his journey, he passed his old house and felt the warmth of once happy memories. He could get used to this. Unluckily for him, however, he wasn’t sure where to go for the best materials and food rations, as he usually didn’t go with Harry on his trips. He decided, in the end, to just let his feet lead him where they wanted to go. With no more partner of survival left, he had all the time in the world to do as he pleased. If it hadn’t been for the blood trail he had found in the woods, Louis almost would’ve wondered if Harry had done the same; stroll into London and just walk off, finally free of the responsibility of having an ally. 

Louis approached his first shop where they used to sell soups and vegetables when he heard rapidly approaching footsteps against the cobblestone street. Thinking fast, Louis reached behind him into the weapons bag and whipped out the dagger, turning around to find - 

A kid. The stranger looked to be around Louis’ age, panting heavily a few feet away from him, hunched over with his hands on his knees. Judging from his body language, the stranger hadn’t seemed to have noticed Louis’ presence quite yet. While Louis was quite unwilling to let another handsome stranger into his life, this young man was obviously in distress, and he figured the least he could do was help him out. It was humans versus monsters in this new world, wasn’t it?

Licking his dried lips, Louis took a small step toward the still panting man, making his presence known. 

“Hey,” Louis called softly. Despite their slight difference, the man clearly had no problem in hearing him, as he jumped about a foot in the air before swinging around to look at him. Louis forced his lips into a friendly smile. “Are you alright? Do you need some help? My name’s Louis.” 

Feeling brave, Louis took a few steps closer to the man, holding his hand out for a shake. While the stranger cringed slightly back in fright, he accepted the hand, shaking it weakly. “Luke,” he replied breathlessly. 

Realizing he could still be seen as a threat to this helpless man, Louis hastily placed his dagger in the bag. He had a feeling the restless stranger, or rather, Luke, posed no threat to him. That’s when he remembered the strange circumstances in which Luke had appeared. 

“Were you being followed, or chased by something, or uh… someone?”

Luke swallowed, seeming to collect himself at last. Louis resisted the urge to roll his eyes; had he been this skittery when he and Harry had just met? 

“I was, actually, by one of those…  _ things _ . I think I managed to outrun them, though,” he looked at Louis with a smile, as if he were meant to be impressed by his skills. 

Louis wasn’t paying attention to Luke anymore, though, instead beginning to look around at the streets, peeking around corners to make sure it was truly empty. Turning his attention back to the stranger who was slowly becoming more irritating, currently pretending to cut off the infected’s heads with a dinner knife, Louis huffed, pinching his arm to get his attention. 

“Listen,” Louis whispered to him, “I came out here for one reason, and it was to get materials to bring back to the woods where I live. Now-”

“Whoa, you live in the woods?!” Luke exclaimed, practically shouting. Louis had to resist the urge to kick him in the shin. Instead, he resorted to shushing him softly, signaling that he wasn’t done. 

“Now, if you’d like to work together a bit, I’d be more than willing. Goodness knows I could use a second pair of hands. You know this part of town better than I do, so maybe you could keep a lookout while I do the raiding. I’ll grab some stuff for you, too, even. We’ll both get something out of it, yeah?”

Luke didn’t seem to have heard the last part, as his face positively lit up at the sound of being able to keep in close contact with Louis. “I - I’d be honored! Thank you so much, you have no idea…”

Though Luke kept going on in a hushed whisper, Louis blocked the rest of his words out. This situation was reminding him eerily of Harry, and he wouldn’t allow himself to get too attached again, especially not so soon. 

That’s when an idea struck him. 

“Wait - Luke, how long have you been out here? Are you by yourself?” 

Luke’s seemingly permanent smile dropped only slightly. “I’ve been out here basically from the beginning, mate. I used to have some people along with me, but…” he frowned. 

Louis was thinking hard, now. “So there are more people out here... Listen - did you ever happen to see a tall, built bloke with dark curly hair?”

Recognition filled Luke’s features. “Yeah… yeah you know I think I’ve seen him around before! I’ve given him a good chat before, but he always seemed in a bit of a rush… haven’t seen him in a while though, innit? You know him?”

Louis ignored the question, turning around to head back into the store, annoyed. Why did Harry never tell him there were still people out here? Maybe if they had more people on their side they could’ve… they could’ve…

Louis held back the tears desperately trying to escape his eyes; Luke was hovering not far behind. Feeling bad about how he had treated him thus far, he turned to look at him. 

“Mind helping me out? You’re supposed to be keeping watch, but… I suppose I’ll be fine on my own. Go… go search for some edible food, yeah? Meet back here.”

Luke nodded enthusiastically, practically running out the door. Louis shook his head in amusement, smiling despite himself. Maybe Luke would be good to have around, after all, if only for a bit of company. 

After splitting up materials fairly between them, Louis turned around without a glance back; it was better to get back sooner rather than later and besides, Luke would be fine without him. He had made it this far, hadn’t he? Stepping into the beginning of the forest, Louis made it a few feet in when he heard the crunching of leaves only feet away from behind him. Whirling around, weapon at the ready, he was about to pounce when it realized it… was only Luke. 

Scrunching his face together in confusion and slight annoyance, Louis looked Luke up and down, taking in his sheepish appearance, his own bag full of goods slung over his shoulder. “What are you doing, Luke? Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” he finally decided on saying. 

“Well I… I thought we were a team, yeah? And since we’re both alone, now, I thought it would be safest if we were to be… I don't know… together? I swear I’ll try and be quieter and be as helpful as I can!”

Louis took in Luke’s pathetic puppy dog face and his willingness to be as helpful as possible. Though he originally only wanted their relationship to be a ‘help you out when we run into each other’ kind of deal, having Luke around all the time could have its potential benefits… and besides, he couldn’t help but feel pity for him; he had to be just as lonely as he was at the moment. 

Huffing out a laugh, Louis shrugged, raising his bag up higher on his shoulders. “Ah, what the hell,” he said. Luke’s reaction was worth it, the way he jumped about a foot in the air, fist pumping the air in joy. 

Louis simply rolled his eyes, turning back around so they wouldn’t get back too late. “Come on then,” he muttered over his shoulder. And so the team of one had officially upgraded to two once again. 

Several hours later, the two of them braved it back to the cabin, with only a few reprimands aimed at Luke for being too loud, which he counted as a win. If Luke thought living out in the woods was incredible, he wasn’t even close to being prepared when he saw the small cabin, big enough for two. Looking as though he was about to exclaim in delight, Louis shot him a withering look, which made him comically zip his mouth. Louis quickly looked away in order to hide his smile. 

“It’s amazing, truly, Louis,” Luke breathed. “You did this yourself?”

“Actually, uh…” the small smidge of joy on Louis’ features dropped, “I used to have a partner, you could say, but… y’know.”

Despite Luke’s goofy demeanor, he knew to drop the subject, instead quickly thinking of something to make Louis smile again. 

“Hey,” Luke nudged his arm, “we’re partners now, yeah? A dynamic duo or something like that. We’ll make sure none of those creepy monsters ever get close to us again.”

Louis huffed out a laugh, turning to face the cabin again. “Yeah, I guess. No more of them will get near me again, unless they wanna get slaughtered like the monsters they are.”

Luke exclaimed in delight, holding his hand out for a high five. Louis wasn’t paying the hand any attention, though, becoming lost in his thoughts again. As though it had ever happened, Luke lowered his hand with a smile.  _ Maybe next time _ _ ,  _ he thought. 

“Well,” Louis sighed, “this’ll be your home, at least for now. Any questions?” he couldn’t help but blush at the look of wonder being sent his way. Seeming to shake himself out of his stupor, Luke looked at Louis. 

“So many. First of all, uhhh-” it was Luke’s time to blush, “how do you survive out here?”

Louis smiled at him kindly. The novice had become the master. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, he shook his head at him jokingly, “Oh, Luke, my boy. You have much to learn.”

Meanwhile, as the two headed inside of the cabin peacefully, they were unknowingly being watched, and not by any type of monster that either of them could’ve been expecting. As a fury they had never felt before raged inside of them, instincts telling them to attack to kill, a hand reached out to touch their shoulder, guiding them back.  _ Soon _ , a voice inside of his head said. 

_ Soon we will take back what is ours. _


	4. Chapter 4

Harry opened his eyes. 

Admittedly, what he saw wasn’t much compared to what he’d been seeing the past week; it was dark, damp, and his head was still pounding with want. For what, exactly, he wasn’t sure. All he could remember was waking up because someone was yelling and- wait a minute, who was just yelling at him a minute ago? And where was Louis? He must be worried sick - oh, he could only imagine the shit he would get. He had to leave right now immediately or else-

Panicked, he sat up very suddenly, which ended up being a bad idea. Not only was his head spinning from the sudden movement from being blacked out for the past week, but his legs and hands seemed to be strapped down, rendering it impossible for him to move an inch from the table he was hastily laid down on. 

Attempting to look around for clues as to where the hell he was, he didn’t have to search far. Backed in the corner of what seemed to be a very damp, small cave, stood three pale, nervous looking people. Though they didn’t look particularly threatening, Harry still took caution, searching around for his weapons bag. Wait - where was his weapons bag?!

Straining against his restraints, Harry was sure his face was turning into a bright shade of red. 

“Hey,” Harry struggled against the tight metal around him, refusing to sit still, “Hey, who are you?! What am I doing here?! Let me go  _ right now _ , or else I’ll - I’ll-”

“Harry, please,” a small brunette stepped forward at last, watching him with pity, “you need to calm down.”

This was a mistake, as it only riled him up further. “How do you know my name?! What do you want with me?! Are you going to feed me to one of those infected things and then eat my brains and-”

“ _ Harry _ , ” the same brunette said, harsher this time. “You-” she swallowed, before collecting herself, “you  _ are  _ one of those infected things. Let me explain, please. Louis - is that your friend?”

All of the fight seemed to drain out of Harry all at once. What - he was a monster? This couldn’t be real… they didn’t know what they were talking about. But - his name. How did these strangers know his name? And how did they know about Louis?

Harry took a moment to examine himself. His skin, normally quite pale, was now inhumanly pale almost- white. His tongue in his mouth brushed against something sharp; he wished he had control of his hands to see what contraption they had placed against his teeth. 

Sensing that he had calmed down tremendously, if not a little tense, she felt it was safe to come closer, vaguely gesturing to the two unknown men still huddled in the corner. They seemed to come forward about half a step, not daring to come any closer. Rolling her eyes, the woman deemed it safe enough to come up right next to Harry’s make-shift bed that was actually just a few logs tied together. Taking a deep breath, she began:

“We’re still unsure how it began but… about two years ago, a woman named Melissa suddenly collapsed on the streets of London, and began attacking every living thing she saw. That woman… was me.

“The “virus”, as I’ve heard it been called, completely takes over you. Once you awaken, you are not yourself until you get what you need; blood. We call this creature… a vampire. It took until I was completely filled with the blood of all of the innocent people I had killed until I realized, not only what I had done, but the secret to stopping it.

“Think of blood to a vampire as similar to what water is to a human. Neither can live without the other; if a human goes too long without water, they could lose control of themselves and go insane, eventually dying of dehydration. It is the same with vampires; when you are without your main food source for some time, you are not yourself anymore; you’re fighting for your life.”

For the first time, Harry interjected, “But how… how is the population of these things - vampires, sorry - growing if so many people are dying? How do I even exist now?”

Melissa hummed thoughtfully. “You have to understand that when a vampire is first changed, all of the blood is sucked from their body, so that they are completely empty of all liquids on the inside. To be changed properly, and not die from blood loss, as many have, the vampire who has done the changing must suck all remaining blood form the victim, until there is nothing else to drain. You -” Melissa touched Harry’s hand in a comforting gesture, “we found you as the hungered, starving vampire had left you, bleeding out amongst the trees. We had to work fast; taking all the blood from someone is not a simple task. After it had seemed we had done all that we could’ve, we dragged you back here. You see, what we strive to do is save as many people as possible, instead of leaving them to die. It may not necessarily be the right thing to do; I didn’t choose to live this life, and would go back to being human in a second if I had the choice, but I just couldn’t stand to watch another human life slip away in front of me.

“You are sane and not bloodthirsty at the moment because we have been feeding you, forcing blood down your throat from animals we have caught. However, it seems as though our efforts have been wearing off…”

She didn’t have to explain what she meant; Harry could feel the rage, the  _ want  _ building up inside of him even as he lied there, listening to her tale. He didn’t want to have to think about what would happen if he stayed in this state any longer, but he also knew he wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon until Melissa finished her story. 

“How do you know my name?” Harry asked again, hoping she would reply with an answer, this time. 

Melissa tilted her head curiously. “In your sleep… you’ve been mumbling, grunting to yourself. I took a guess that you were the Harry in question, and I was correct. Louis - there was much mumbling about a Louis. Who is he, if I may ask? I apologize if he was attacked alongside you - we would’ve saved him too if we had seen.”

Harry was now awash with a whole new feeling of sadness, nothing to do with how his life currently was. Oh, how he missed his Louis! He couldn’t wait to get home, hold him in his arms, tell him all about his journey, why he had been gone so long.

“Louis is my boyfriend. We’ve been together for quite some time now; I love him. He wasn’t with me when I was attacked, so he’s fine… or at least I hope he is.” his frown turned deeper still. 

Melissa offered him a sad smile, turning to look at the two men, still in the corner, now looking awkward. “Oh, come on then!” she said to them, annoyed. “He’s clearly not in a violent state of mind anymore, and keeping him from food will only make his hunger worse!”

Sheepishly, a buff man in well-worn out clothes shuffled forward, holding out a glass of what seemed to be blood. Immediately, Harry’s first reaction was to cringe backwards, disgusted by the sight of the dark red liquid, probably still warm from where it was extracted. His senses betrayed him, though; even as he refused the cup persistently being held in his direction, he could feel his nostrils flare, mouth water, ready for the delectable taste of the tangy, warm, delicious… wait  _ NO! _ __

The man seemed to finally take pity on him, setting the glass down somewhere Harry couldn’t quite see. Walking back, he came the closest to Harry that he had thus far, kneeling beside his makeshift bed. Awkwardly, he gave him what he supposed to be a smile. 

“Guess it’s time I introduce myself. I’m Liam. That’s Zayn, over there,” he said, vaguely gesturing to where the other man stood, seemingly uninterested in the affairs happening, chattering with Melissa, who watched closely from the corner of her eye. 

“Uhm… nice to meet you?” Harry wasn’t quite sure what kind of mind game Liam was playing, but he didn’t like it. He wouldn’t drink that blood, no matter how much his senses betrayed him. 

“Listen, Harry - we’ve all had to go through what you’re doing now. Once you’re back to yourself, the things that you’ve done as your primal self suddenly don’t seem as, well,  _ appetizing _ , per se, but I swear it’s not that bad! Actually, as Melissa said before, it’s just as simple as drinking a glass of water. Except well - uh - more, flavorful?” Even Liam knew that wasn’t the best thing to say. “What I mean is,” he backtracked quickly, “basically, Harry, if you don’t drink this blood, odds are, you’re not going to make it very far as a vampire.”

He supposed the hard truth was better than beating around the bush. Huffing, dreading his decision already, “Let’s just get this over with already.”

“That’s the spirit,” Liam praised as he jumped back on his feet to grab the glass. 

Once the glass was being held back in his face, Harry took it, this time, which was somehow worse; he was right, it was still warm. He peered into the liquid, watching how it stained the glass, moving around thickly. Inhaling, sealing his eyes shut, Harry downed the glass of blood, his tongue savoring each gulp, immediately feeling his defenses go down. 

“So…” Liam began nervously, “what do you think?”

Harry allowed himself to exhale. He was pissed; this was the absolute worst thing to happen, in all the possible scenarios. 

“I love it.”

\- - -

For the first time since Harry was attacked, he ventured out into the woods, except this time, he had company, and, well, he was dead. After he had gotten his fill of blood and they were sure he wouldn’t have another episode, they insisted that Zayn and Liam take him out into the wilderness to teach Harry about this new way of living. He had recently learned that the new sharp contraptions in his mouth were called “fangs”, used to suck the blood out of his prey. 

“It’s not just about knowing how to skin and cook a woodland creature,” Liam had explained, “it’s about knowing how to suck it’s blood.”

And so out they went, Liam and Zayn leading the way, while Harry lagged behind a bit. Apparently, Zayn was the expert hunter, being able to smell prey from miles away, and Liam tagged along to help, and for some moral support. According to Liam, they had “bonded” earlier that day, and was now determined to become friends. 

It was hard to tell if the silence was due to wanting to be quiet or because no one had anything to say, but either way, the atmosphere quickly became awkward as they walked. Sensing the tension, Liam frowned, slowing down his steps so that he walked beside Harry in what he was hoping was a companionable silence, dragging Zayn alongside him against his will so that the path they were walking on was hardly wide enough for the three of them. 

Clearing his throat slightly, but still staring straight ahead, Zayn spoke. “You don’t have to stay with us if you don’t want to. After some basic training on how to survive on your own, you should be good to go.”

If Zayn hoped this would help dissolve the awkwardness, he was sorely mistaken; if anything, it made it worse. Harry had a bit of an inkling that Zayn was uncomfortable with him around, that much was clear considering the fact that this was the first time he had spoken to him directly. It was fair, Harry had to cut him some slack; he was a stranger in what seemed to be a tightly knit group. However, he didn’t expect to be pushed to hit the road so quickly. Not that he minded; the sooner he could go back to see his Louis, the better. 

“Don’t mind Zayn over here, alright?” Liam not-so-discreetly mumbled. “You can stay with us as long as you’re comfortable. Hell, maybe you could even join-”

“Here.” Zayn interjected, stopping where he stood. “There’s plenty of prey around this area. Harry - you know what to do from here, yeah?”

And just like that, the awkward tension was replaced by panic - sure, he knew how to hunt, but with his bare hands? And in front of an audience?! He couldn’t crack now, though. While Zayn looked as unimpressed as ever, Liam looked on with anticipation and hope that Harry wouldn’t disappoint. 

“Yeah,” his voice cracked. Shit. “I’ll just… catch something and we’ll go from there, I suppose.”

Without waiting for a response, Harry searched the area, only then becoming aware of his hyper-senses. As a bird flew by, he could hear the flapping of its wings, the chirping of its cries. A squirrel skirted by, and he could hear each of its feet hitting the ground, smelling the scent of its pumping blood. He swore, from miles away, he could even smell a deer clomping its way through the dense trees. It was all becoming a little too much too fast, and he suddenly felt the need to sit down. 

More than anything, though, he heard the faint sound of a human laugh, followed by the sound of a very familiar _shushing_ sound. He could’ve sworn it sounded just like… _oh_ _._ And in that moment, he’s never felt more alive. 

But Zayn and Liam were now watching him very closely, curiously, even, as though they could sense that Harry’s blood pressure went up, wanting to run, run, and hunt down that gentle sound. 

“Hey - why don’t we go someplace over here? I thought I heard something over in this direction…” Harry offered, not convincing either one of them. 

“I don’t sense any good hunting material in that direction,” Zayn deadpanned.

Liam nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think it’s best if we just stay here.”

Harry ignored them both, stomping eagerly toward the sounds he heard only seconds before. “Well, I have some senses of my own, and they say we should go over here.”

“Right, well. If we’re done for today, I’ll just be heading back,” Zayn said, clearly over Harry’s attitude and overall willingness to their help. “See you later, Li,” with a light glare behind his shoulder, he added, “Harry.”

“Zayn wait - please, we can fix this! Harry stop, you don’t know what you’re doing!”

Except in a way, Harry knew exactly what he was doing, exactly what he was getting himself into. Helpless, with no partner to help tame the newly born vampire, Liam followed close behind. Jogging lightly to keep up with Harry’s long strides, Liam tried in vain to catch up to him, hoping to calm his energy, not wanting Harry to rush into any rash decisions. 

“Harry, bud, I really think if you go hunting, have a snack, maybe you’ll calm down a bit, yeah? Come on, maybe we can catch Zayn before he makes it back.”

Harry didn’t even spare Liam a glance, “Nah, I’m not that hungry anyways.”

“But -  _ you can’t just _ \-  _ STOP!” _

Surprised, Harry couldn’t help but follow his instruction, stopping to turn to look at Liam. It was the first time he had yelled at him, or been somewhat strict. Liam seemed to have surprised himself as well, as the two of them stood and stared at each other in silence. 

“Look,” Liam said, finally breaking the tense silence that had settled, “I know you’re a newly born vampire, and obviously will always have that one part of you in the back of your mind that wants to kill, and suck human blood straight from the source, but. This is why we saved you, that day, so that you would be able to live and  _ not  _ turn into a wild beast. Now, I know it might be hard, but-”

“Wait a minute,” Harry couldn’t help himself; he had to stop Liam before he got too far into this life lesson, “You think I want to… hunt the humans we heard?”

Liams’ look of brotherly understanding switched to confusion within a second. “You don’t? Then why did you stop our training? I know being able to see humans again for the first time after being changed can be a bit surreal but this is important for your future!”

“I’ll get back to the training, alright? Just after I find where that noise is coming from,” Harry emphasized, now getting frustrated. With all the time they were wasting, he probably wouldn’t be able to track where Louis’ voice had wandered. 

Right as he thought that, a small screech echoed through the woods. This had to be his last chance… and that screech… Louis could  _ be in trouble! _ Without even processing that Liam was in the middle of another sentence, Harry sped off, keeping no mind of all the ruckus he was causing, speeding through the trees like he never had before. In fact, he truly felt as though he had never even moved this fast before, looking around as the trees seemed to whiz by, his surroundings a complete blur as his legs moved without his permission. This had to be the most free he had felt in years; there were no consequences to his actions! He could run around all day, just watching the scenery pass in a blur, but he was out here for a reason; he had to find Louis before it was too late. 

He slowed his steps down to a stop; he had to take a moment to think. Concentrating his mind, he focused on where exactly the noise had come from. But indeed, he had already gotten quite close; he could probably find his way back to where his home was from here! Studying his surroundings, he listened hard; if he could hear the waterfall, he knew where he was. Somewhere off, far in the distance, he heard the steady flow of water crashing down; the waterfall, where he had spent so many nights and memories with Louis. But more than anything else, he heard pounding footsteps, very similar to his own… oh no. 

Taking no time to hesitate, he sped off, not wanting to hear any more of the reprimanding or his convincing to head back home, not just yet. He had to think fast; though he knew this part of the woods pretty well from residing here for the better part of two years, it could still be like a maze at some points. He only hoped Liam didn’t know these paths as well as him. 

Alas, if anything, his running only made it worse. Though he couldn’t see Liam behind him, he could still hear his yells to ‘slow down’ and ‘come back’. Despite himself, Harry couldn’t help but feel bad for the lad. After all, they were only trying to help. He wasn’t leaving that crew behind forever, though, he just needed to see Louis, make sure he was okay and that he knew he was fine! If only he could make Liam understand…

At last, he made it to what seemed like the trees right outside their home. He was about to come forward and knock on their door, when he heard a voice… that wasn’t Louis’. Panicked, he ran back into the trees, crouching down behind a nearby bush, peeking his head back up to spy on what stranger could be snooping around their perfectly crafted cabin. 

Harry was expecting to see some creep snooping around, getting into people’s things without their permission. He was expecting to see some poor old lad, clothes torn, ready to beg for a nice place to stay, if only for a night. He was expecting to see someone just like him, newly turned, not quite sure where they belong yet. The last thing he expected to see was a handsome man walking side by side with his Louis, looking more than a little comfortable with their closeness. Little did he know, Louis wasn’t that foolish, and wouldn’t fall for his handsome charms that easily. 

Louis looked at the mystery man and shot him a small smile and -  _ wait a minute  _ \- who was this guy, anyways?! He didn’t really expect to stay in their cabin as though it were his home, did he? Ha! He laughed at the thought silently. As if! Louis had probably been awaiting his arrival for the entire week; within an hour, the pretty boy would hit the road, never to be seen again. 

“You did this yourself?” he heard Pretty Boy ask, clearly amazed. Harry felt pride for both himself and Louis. Though he was trying to steal his love, Pretty Boy had taste. 

Harry could only see half of Louis’ face, but he could see enough to see how his face dropped. He frowned. “Actually, uh… I used to have a partner, you could say, but… y’know.”

His frown deepened still. It’s not like Harry could exactly blame Louis for thinking he had died; after all, it had been a week with no sign of life or communication. But was he really that willing to let go of hope?

Caught in his thoughts and not taking his eyes off of Louis, he didn’t even notice someone creeping up behind him. A kind hand put itself carefully on Harry’s shoulder from where he was still crouched. Despite the calm energy coming from the stranger’s hand, Harry jumped about a foot in the air, whirling around on his feet to find Liam looking at him disappointedly. 

Heart rate steadily slowing down, Harry sighed. He knew this moment would come eventually. Looking at Liam’s face, he thinks he would’ve preferred it if he were screaming and yelling at his face; the pure disappointment in who he thought Harry was was almost too much to handle. 

“I- I can explain, alright?” Harry tried. Liam’s face didn’t crack, waiting. “That’s - that’s my boy! My Louis! It’s been a week since I’ve seen him, and I figured he’d be worried sick, but-” he turned back to watch the two, still standing outside their cabin, admiring the handiwork. 

“Hey,” Pretty Boy nudged Louis’ arm, “we’re partners now, yeah? A dynamic duo or something like that. We’ll make sure none of those creepy monsters ever get close to us again.”

Louis huffed out a laugh, turning to face the cabin again. “Yeah, I guess. No more of them will get near me again, unless they wanna get slaughtered like the monsters they are.”

Harry cringed back, as though he had been hit. He was suddenly glad he had hidden when he heard them coming. Even though he was still the Harry that he knew Louis had once known and loved, would he see him like this and see him as nothing more than… a monster? Something to be slaughtered?

As he watched Louis and the stranger walk into the cabin that used to be his, he considered how he could be so stupid. It’s not that he could blame Louis, exactly; he couldn’t bring himself to hate him if he tried. Only a week ago, he had the same mindset, considering the thing he was today to be a monster, something to be feared and killed at first chance. But today… he knew how it felt to be an outsider.

He knew he would never be able to show Louis his face again, especially not in the state he was currently. He had become the thing that had taken over his whole family, torn Louis from his sisters and mother. The one thing he hated, wanted to see destroyed, because, well. He was now part of the reason Louis’ life was ruined. Harry felt disgusted with himself, almost. Was life even worth living if he knew if Louis saw him now, he would hate his guts?

Liam seemed to sense the mood change from what Harry had heard. “Harry…”

“No,” Harry cleared his throat, “it’s no big deal, alright? I just need… time. To get over him.”

Liam nodded understandingly; while he was still disappointed in Harry’s actions, he knew now wasn’t the time. “Why don’t we get back to hunting, yeah? Get your mind off things for good?”

Harry nodded, still staring at the cabin. From inside, he heard the stranger’s laugh ring out. The blood he had just sucked into his veins seemed to be on fire, lighting up his rage. That should be him in that cabin, laughing with Louis, ready to start a life together. An icy, hissing voice awoke from inside his head, seeking revenge, despite the fact the man had no idea of his existence. 

_ Soon. Soon we will take back what is ours.  _

_ \- - - _

And so Liam and Harry went on a hunting trip until Harry had finally gotten the hang of piercing his sharp teeth through a wild animal. He couldn’t help but think about how when he and Louis had first met, Louis had felt bad for the animals when they would kill and skin them; they were trying to survive just as well as them. Forced to stare into the eyes of the rabbit whose neck he had just snapped just before sinking his teeth into their skin, he finally understood. It wasn’t a total waste of the day, at least. 

__

Each day that passed, things only seemed to get worse for Harry. Liam and Harry arrived back to their shelter later that day to find Zayn looking as unimpressed as ever with Melissa resembling Liam with how disappointed she was, though she tried not to show it. 

__

“I captured and drank from three different animals, though!” Harry tried to lighten the mood. 

__

“You still have a long way to go before you’d have any chance of making it on your own, though,” Zayn said dismissively. Harry wasn’t sure what it was, but he had an inkling Zayn didn’t like him very much. 

__

In between the three experienced vampires teaching him how to resist temptations, how to find human food if he should feel a temptation without scaring anyone, and what to do if he were to come across a feral vampire, Harry was doing his own training. With the help of Liam, who understood only too well what it was like to lose a once treasured lover, he would spend most of his days when not training watching Louis, making sure no one, especially feral vampires, came near him. He had to say, it was almost kind of fun to trick feral vampires into running the opposite direction where Liam stayed keeping watch, where he then shoved cups of blood down their throat. 

__

There were negatives to what they were doing, of course, the worst of all being forced to watch Pretty Boy - _Luke_ was his name, he had learned; a stupid name, if you asked Harry - try and fail to flirt with Louis. While under regular circumstances it would be somewhat hilarious to watch the poor lad crash and burn, he reminded himself that poor lad had once been himself… and it could only be a matter of time until Louis caved. 

__

It only became harder and harder to stay away and keep his distance when, at last, he saw Louis stop looking at Luke with what used to be slight annoyance to be replaced with… fondness? No - absolutely not. Something had to be done about this, and fast. 

__

From where he was watching them now, it looked as though they were attempting to hunt down a deer; they would have plenty of meals for at least a week, between the two of them. While he didn’t want to take away Louis’ chance at a good hunt, he also didn’t care much for his growing affections for this Luke character. And with that, he thought up a plan. 

__

Taking down a deer of that size with no gun and only handheld weapons was going to be a feat, indeed. That’s when he watched as Luke the showoff took out a rifle from his bag. Oh, he had to see this. Moving fast, he allowed himself to get closer to the scene. From behind him, he heard Liam follow cautiously, unsure of his motivations but not wanting to ask any questions in fear of the two humans hearing them. 

__

The deer was standing peacefully by a small river, leaning down to have a drink every once and awhile. As Harry neared its position, the animal suddenly went stiff, looking around, alarmed, though they didn’t move from their position. It was just close enough to see them close enough but not be seen. 

__

Peeking behind a thick tree he was hidden behind, he saw Louis; he was in Harry’s old coat that had been mended at least a thousand times. Harry couldn’t help but smile at the sight. If anything, it only fueled his desire to potentially fuck up their dinner so Louis would be upset with Luke. Sure, he might be a terrible person, but would it be worth it? Absolutely.

__

Luke creeped closer to the deer so that he was practically only a few feet away. Louis wandered over to look at the trees, back turned to the scene; he was the same as ever, not wanting to see a poor innocent animal get its life taken. As Luke lifted the gun and got ready to shoot, Harry seized his opportunity. 

__

“What are you doing?” Liam hissed. But Harry wasn’t listening anymore, stepping carefully until he was right behind Luke, where he was just about to pull the trigger, when. 

__

“ _ Boo _ . ” Harry whispered in his ear.

__

“AGGHHHHH!” Luke shrieked, sending a bullet off flying into the sky, nowhere near the deer, who had run off into the wilderness far before he had time to think twice. 

__

Due to Harry’s newfound speed, he had run back into his hiding spot in the forest before poor Luke even had a chance to turn around. Now it was only time to watch how his plan unfolded, and if it was even worth taking Louis’ dinner from him for the week. 

__

Despite his confusion, Louis was a saint and kept up his own personal whispering only rule. “Luke?! What the hell?! They were right there, how could you have missed? And why did you scream there was absolutely no need -” Louis stopped his ranting to take a look at Luke’s face. “Hey. Are you okay?”

__

Indeed, Luke looked as though he had suffered quite the fright, frantically looking around him, keeping his gun, that now had one less bullet, close and ready to fire. He looked quite ridiculous, in Harry’s humble opinion. 

__

“Luke,” Louis whined. “Stop swinging that thing around before you take an eye out. What’s got you spooked?”

__

Harry couldn’t help but wonder where this Luke fellow had gotten a gun in the first place. He had been out there in town countless times, and had never come across such a valuable object. As Liam tugged at his arm insistently with complaints of ‘wanting to get out of here before we get shot’, Harry listened closely. 

__

“There - I- I was getting ready to shoot the deer, and I- I thought for sure I had it,” Luke stammered, “and then… I felt this- this _presence_ behind me, following my every move. I was focused on the deer, so I thought it might’ve been you behind me, but,” he swallowed. “As I was about to pull the trigger, I saw a tall shadow come from behind me. Before I had time to think, a pair of bony hands touched my back, and a deep, sinister voice whispered in my ear… _boo_.”

__

_ Well, this kid sure knows how to dramatize things _ ,  _ that’s for sure _ _ , _ Harry thought to himself. He knew what he did was reckless, and that if he pulled something like that again, he’d have to be more careful. But would Louis believe it? 

__

To Harry’s dismay, Louis looked as though he believed Luke, quite the opposite of how he hoped he would react to Luke’s story, thinking that he had lost his mind. For a moment, they looked around the immediate area together, before Louis decided to call it a day.

__

“Who knew that the infected had a sense of humor, eh?” he laughed quietly. Luke didn’t look amused; in fact, he looked more frightened than ever at the thought that one of the infected had been so close to him. “But I wonder… why wouldn’t they just kill you? I wasn’t looking, and they wouldn't have even gotten caught. I wonder…” Louis continued, drifting off.

__

For a moment, it looked as though Louis was looking exactly where Harry was standing, hidden behind the multiple trees and their entangled branches. Harry’s hope for Louis knowing that he was alive and sending him hints that he still loved him was short lived, however, as Louis looked away, as though he was truly looking at nothing more than a tree. 

__

As Harry finally allowed himself to be pulled away by a profusely sweating Liam, he heard Louis ask quietly in the distance, “Let’s just look somewhere else for a snack, yeah? No big deal.”

__

\- - -

__

Maybe Harry was an idiot to think this could go on forever, staying with his mentors and watching Louis from afar. But after five months of the same routine, it got hard to knock yourself out of it. 

__

In truth, Harry could have left this old London woodland quite a while ago, gone to live out what he set out what he did months ago and explore what was left of society as he knew it. But since then, his entire life has been flipped on its head. For one, he didn’t have any of his trusty weapons anymore; he was glad Louis had found them, but felt a sense of distaste whenever he saw Luke use them. Not that he needed them as much anymore, anyways, seeing as he feasted mostly on blood now. But it would be nice to know he had more to protect himself than just his newfound blood-sucking powers. 

__

Besides, as embarrassed as he was to admit, he had enjoyed having company, people he may even consider friends, during this potentially scarring experience. He wondered if any one of them would be willing to travel alongside him. The only thing that would make it better would be if… well…

__

Harry sat at his usual spot in between the weeds and trees right outside the old cabin that still held up after all this time. Even now, Louis had his own little schedule, and after all the time Harry had spent hanging around these parts, he had memorized it. To be fair, his schedule hadn’t changed much from when Harry was alive, but still. 

__

It was only a regular day, in everyone’s eyes. Liam hadn’t come with Harry on his trip this time, and Harry didn’t blame him. It had to be quite the chore to sit around and watch his friend stare at some guy all day. But because of this, Harry had to be extra alert. Liam was the one who made sure no feral vampires came too close, after all. Right as he thought he had better check to make sure no one was too close, the door opened, and the two humans stepped out to go out for what looked like a trip into the city. 

__

This was never good news for Harry to hear. He always dreaded the days they would go out into the city because that meant it was harder for him to hide. Sure, he could stop his stalker-ish tendencies and let Louis go out unguarded for once, but knowing his luck, the day he wasn’t there to scare the ferals away would be the day Louis would get attacked. He just cared too much about Louis to let that happen because of his carelessness.

__

And so as the two humans took the path into the city, Harry followed carefully behind. 

__

Louis seemed different, today. A worry line appeared between Harry’s eyebrows. Something was wrong. Harry willed Luke to ask him what was wrong. Of all the magical vampire powers he could’ve gotten, he couldn't have gotten mind control? 

__

At last, Luke seemed to sense the mood change, frowning worriedly. “Hey,” Luke nudged Louis’ arm playfully, “What’s up? Everything good? We can head back if you want…”

__

Louis was silent for a moment before he answered. “Hmm. No, everything’s fine. At least, I think it is. I’ve just been having a weird feeling lately. Actually, it’s been happening for a while, but I haven’t thought of bringing it up until now. I thought if I said something, they’d start coming back. But…”

__

Luke grinned, but it fell when he looked to Louis’ face to find he was completely serious. “Louis - what are you talking about? You’re talking nonsense.”

__

“The infected, Luke. Where did they go? When Harr-  _ my partner  _ _ \-  _ died, they were everywhere, infecting the whole area. Hell, that’s  _ how  _ he died, and he was careful, too. We couldn’t even do what we’re doing now, walk to the city, without running into at least one of them. What happened? Did they all just -  _ disappear? _ ”

__

Louis was growing frustrated, and it wasn’t hard to tell, despite his whisper. Harry had to say, he was surprised and a little annoyed with himself - of course Louis would notice that the entirety of the woods suddenly went empty! But what was he supposed to do?  _ Let  _ the ferals scare Louis out of living his life? 

__

“But…” Luke seemed unsure of what his next move in this conversation should be. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

__

Louis huffed, though he seemed to have expected the question. Harry had the suspicion he had been wanting to get this off of his chest for a while. 

__

“Under regular circumstances, sure. Maybe they all died out, maybe they found some other city to torturue, there’s endless possibilities. But… that’s not all. I don’t know what, or who, but. I think we’ve been being watched for a while now.”

__

Luke now looked slightly frightened by Louis’ ramblings. “Wh-what do you mean?”

__

Harry was curious, himself. He wasn’t sure what Louis was about to confess, but he knew it meant nothing good for him. He should probably just run now, before they realize. Leave London for good, give himself a new name. Instead, he stayed in-step with the both of them, listening.

__

“I had my first suspicions that one day, when we went hunting for that deer. You said someone whispered in your ear, and it wasn’t me. I knew you weren’t crazy; I believed you. We searched around the area for a bit, and we agreed that neither of us saw anything; they probably had already left. But I lied… I saw something. I thought it might’ve been a trick of the eyes, at first, so I brushed it off. But I know what I saw, now.

__

“Not far away from where we stood, buried behind the protection of the trees, I saw a pair of eyes. A crouching body. A strand of hair. They had been watching us; I don’t know for how long. But they saw me, and saw that I had seen them. I don't know why - they could’ve killed both of us right then. Maybe it was because you had the gun. But that’s not the only time.”

__

Luke had started shaking like a leaf. They continued on their walk nonetheless. “N-not the only time?” 

__

“They were the most careless that one day with the deer, and I haven’t found any hard evidence since but… it’s the little things. I feel someone’s eyes on my back when I turn around. I hear distant voices that don’t belong to either of us. I hear an extra pair of footsteps when we walk together.”

__

“What do you-”

__

“Stop.”

__

Out of nowhere, Louis flung his arm out against Luke’s chest, stopping them both from walking any further. Not expecting such a move, Harry moved a few steps further from them before hastily stopping himself. Despite the small misstep, it was enough. They had heard him. 

__

“Someone’s here,” Louis breathed.

__

Hearing all of what Louis had just confessed, Harry could hardly believe how sloppy he had been. All the days he had walked just a step too close, talked just a note too loud. It all came down to this. 

__

“What do you want?!” Louis spoke just below a shout. It had been so long since he’d heard his regular voice. “Why haven’t you killed us already?!” he sounded like he was near tears, now. Boy, if Louis didn’t hate him already, he sure was going to after this. 

__

“Come out, already, you coward! We know you’re in there! Luke, get your weapons out.”

__

It didn’t have to come to this. They didn’t have to fight and no blood had to be shed. Holding his breath, Harry prepared himself to step out of the trees and face Louis for the first time in five months when-

__

Pounding footsteps. Much faster than a human. Ones that resembled…  _ SHIT _ _.  _ He had forgotten to scare the ferals away. Maybe blood would have to be shed, after all. 

__

Despite his fears of facing Louis again, he now had no choice. He would be able to fight a vampire better than two of the strongest humans in the world. If only he could get to the feral before he got here…

__

But the pounding only got closer and closer. Time to face the music. With no weapon, he bursted out of the trees onto the path, where Louis immediately lifted the dagger he had given to him all those years ago and-

__

Harry stopped the blow easily with his hand, holding Louis’ arm above his own so that the dagger was now far above his head.

__

As if Louis had suddenly forgotten seconds ago he was trying to stab him, he limply dropped the dagger so that it fell to the ground with a  _ clank _ . He seemed at a loss for words.

__

“ _ Harry? _ _ ” _ he breathed. 

__

“No time to explain,” Harry said quickly. “Pick a weapon and get ready to defend yourself, there’s ferals coming.”

__

“Uhhh,” a voice came from behind him. Harry whipped around to find a visibly frightened and confused Luke. He had honestly forgotten he was even there. “Who are you? And what are ferals?”

__

Just then, a screeching, feral vampire burst through the trees, frothing at the mouth. They were beyond saving; their skin had turned a smoky grey, skin peeling off at the corners to reveal black, oozing liquid that must’ve at one point been blood. Now  _ this  _ was a monster.

__

_“GET ME A WEAPON NOW,”_ he shouted at Luke. While he wasn't usually one for being impolite, the time for patience was long gone. 

__

Jumping, Luke panicked, clearly throwing the first weapon he could find at Harry, which just so happened to be his not-so-lucky axe. With no warning, Luke tossed the rest of the weapons bag Harry’s way, where it landed at his feet with a thump. And with that the brave and courageous Luke ran in the opposite direction, not looking back. 

__

There was no time to worry about him, though; he had no idea what kind of situation Louis could be in now. Digging through the bag desperately, he found a handful of daggers that he could throw. Unsheathing one, he looked up to find Louis trying his best to avoid the satanic being by crawling around by their feet, slashing at their knees with one of the many daggers. Observing the scene, it seemed as though the being had trouble bending down or even sitting. It was as though they had to keep fighting; if they quit, all of their energy would run out and they would die. But maybe they wouldn’t have enough time to wait until they passed out from exhaustion.

__

Keeping this in mind, Harry aimed with the dagger, hoping to pierce through their skull. With a mix of panic and precision, he threw, holding his breath. He was close; while he didn’t quite get the monster’s head, he managed to strike them right through the neck, so that the only part of the dagger you could see was the handle.

__

Screeching in pain, the feral was momentarily distracted as they spun around in absolute agony, trying their best to remove the dagger but failing due to their lack of strength. 

__

“Louis, run!” Harry advised loudly. It wouldn't do well for Louis to try and fight him off, especially while in such close contact. The beast could regain their stamina at any minute.

__

But Louis saw this as his chance; digging his own dagger through the beast’s stomach, he jumped to his feet, attempting to run to safety. 

__

It was a mistake. The feral saw this as their last opportunity to get their sweet nutrition, even as the last of their body fluids seeped through both blades. The beast wrapped their dry, scaly hands around Louis' throat; they were stronger than they looked. With no weapon left to fight with, Louis clawed desperately at the hands around his throat. 

__

“NO!” Harry couldn’t let Louis die - not like this. Not when it was his fault. There was only one way to stop this…

__

Hesitantly, he picked up the axe; it hadn’t been very well taken care of by that Luke fellow. The last time he had used this, he had died, not far from where they were now. It was time to turn that luck around, then. 

__

But alas, that split second of hesitance was all the feral needed. Frozen solid, Harry watched as the beast’s razor-sharp teeth pierced through Louis’ neck, sucking greedily. Louis screamed in agony, staring out at nothing with pure desperation before he passed out.

__

Snapping out of his horror at last, Harry ran forward, splitting the beast’s skull open with one blow to the head. They fell forward on top of Louis’ body, clearly dead. But all he felt was regret. 

__

Throwing the rotted corpse of the feral’s body away from Louis’ with disgust, he looked upon Louis' peaceful body with nothing but sorrow. For the first time, he wished he had Liam with him to tell him what to do. But he knew he only had limited time to act before it would be too late, Louis’ eyes to be closed forever. What would Louis want him to do? He wished he would have had time to ask; they never even got to reunite. Louis didn’t even know that Harry had changed… in more ways than one. Would he think that he was just like the monster that had taken away his chance at a normal human life? 

__

Harry took a moment to sob over Louis’ body, holding his frame close to his own. For he didn’t know if Louis would ever want to hold him like that again when he awoke. 

__

He didn’t want time to regret it. He was done with thinking of the consequences. With nothing but his love for Louis on his mind, he sunk his teeth into Louis’ neck, draining him of anything else he may have left. 

__

After Harry was sure all of the blood had been sucked out of Louis’ body, he had no other choice than to bring him back to his current residence. As much as he might’ve wanted to stick around, look inside the cabin to see how it had been kept up, he didn’t know how long Louis would be knocked out before he awoke and became bloodthirsty. 

__

Carrying Louis in his arms, weapon bag in tow, this time, he was able to observe Louis’ features up close for the first time in what felt like forever. While his tan complexion had already faded out to a deathly pale, he still had his long eyelashes that fanned out across his cheekbones, button nose, and the little cluster of freckles along his cheeks. It looked as though he had kept up with shaving his face, though the same could not be said for the length of his hair, which was now growing past his ears. 

__

As Harry found himself growing nearer to the shelter where the “team”, as Liam liked to call them, resided, he felt himself growing more nervous. In all of the time that he had been a part of their little group, he had never fucked up this bad. Opening the make-shift door that was actually made out of bark from a tree, he prepared himself for the worst. 

__

It didn’t take long for chaos to ensue. 

__

“Hey Harry,” Liam greeted pleasantly. “You were late for dinner, I almost went out to-” the pleasant look vanished from his face, “who is that.”

__

Harry closed his eyes, exhaling deeply from his nose. “You know who it is, Liam.”

__

“Why.”

__

Harry kept his eyes sealed shut. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

__

“Why - _how_ is he here? Wasn’t that the whole point of following him this whole time? So he wouldn’t be killed - turned into one of us?”

__

Harry allowed himself to open his eyes at last. Liam was clearly upset with him, but he sounded willing to help, at least. “It - wasn’t meant to be like this. This whole time we’ve been keeping watch of him - he knew. I was so invested in listening about how many times I had fucked up that I didn’t realize that… I forgot to scare ferals off. Listen -” Harry tried to backtrack as Liam groaned, “there was only one, and they were too far gone to save anyways. I killed them, Liam, it’s okay.”

__

Liam glared at Harry for a moment, just to make him squirm. And then - “Melissa... Zayn… we’ve got company.”

__

\- - -

Harry watched from afar, horrified, as the threesome that was Melissa, Zayn, and Liam, forced gallons of blood down Louis’ throat as he strained against his chains. Is this what… _he_ had been like those first few days? No wonder when he had woken up the three were cowered against a wall. Harry was sure that if Louis hadn’t been chained, they’d all be dead by now. He knew the ravenous look in his eyes and the absolute hatred being sent his way wasn’t really his Louis, but he couldn’t help but be _afraid_ of him for a moment. 

But he was being silly. This was his doing, after all, and he knew he’d be back to normal by the end of the week. So, metaphorically rolling up his sleeves, he walked over to the bed to help. 

\- - -

It was two days later when Harry got the news that Louis was awake; he had been out hunting, trying to get his mind off things. He had been driving himself crazy, sitting at the foot of where Louis lay unconscious still, willing him to wake up; for his face to be the first thing he saw. That’s when Melissa ordered him out of the room, insisting that even if Louis did wake up while he was gone, he would need space and time to adjust to his surroundings.

So naturally, that’s exactly when it happened. 

Harry sprinted back to the shelter when he got the news while Liam shouted in his ear the whole time to not get too excited and not to scare him. Despite the butterflies in his stomach, he followed Liam’s instructions, for once, stopping right outside their fragile door. With trembling hands, he knocked on the wood, waiting for the say-so. From inside, he heard Melissa’s voice. “Come in,” she called softly. 

Harry looked behind his shoulder at Liam for confirmation. At his thumbs-up, he removed the poor excuse for a door and entered, his partner not far behind. 

The first thing he saw when he entered the room was Melissa standing awkwardly in the corner, seemingly wanting to give the couple space, and… Louis, who was sitting up on the pile of logs that was the bed, swinging his legs miserably. Most shockingly of all, Zayn sat beside Louis on the bed, a companionable hand on his shoulder. It looked as though they were speaking quietly, a secret conversation no one else could hear. 

Afraid to break the peaceful conversation that he was clearly having, Harry stood and watched in silence, waiting. Liam clearly did not feel the same. Clearing his throat loudly, they looked up in surprise. Liam must’ve made some sort of motion behind Harry’s back, because Zayn stood.

“Give you some time to talk, yeah?” Zayn mumbled to him. Louis only nodded sadly, continuing to stare down at his still swinging feet. After a moment, after everyone had cleared out, it was only Harry and Louis left in the room, with the three elder vampires waiting just outside the door. 

There was only the pain of awkward silence for a moment; Harry wasn’t even sure if Louis knew he was there, with how little he was reacting, pointedly looking down at his feet. Harry decided to bite the bullet, sitting down next to Louis on the log. When he didn’t protest, he relaxed, pleased, but didn’t dare to move any closer. 

Louis had changed in only small ways that only Harry, someone who had lived with him for years, could have noticed. He had grown slightly thinner, cheekbones slightly more noticeable. Louis’ usual tan complexion had turned similar to Harry’s; he was pale as a ghost. Possibly the most noticeable of all, though, were the two holes sticking out of Louis’ neck where Harry had bitten him.

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He didn’t even know where to start. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to. 

“Hey.” Louis said lightly, as if it were just another day.

“Uhm-” Harry stuttered, surprised Louis’ first words to him weren’t screams of betrayal, “Hello.”

Louis giggled, actually  _ giggled _ _.  _ If Harry thought he was at a loss for words before, he wasn’t prepared to hear the sound of pure joy escape from Louis’ mouth. As he laughed, Harry noticed the two sharp fangs attached to Louis’ teeth that weren’t there before. 

“Harry,” Louis chuckled, “You see me for the first time in months, and all you have to say is ‘hello’? C'mere, you absolute arse.” 

With no warning, Louis shoved himself into Harry’s body, attacking him with an unexpected hug. Relieved, and a lot confused, Harry held him even closer to his chest, hoping the time to let go would never arise. 

But all good things come to an end. Pulling away, Louis looked up at his face for the first time. “You look terrible, by the way,” he joked, “can’t believe I ever thought you were hot. I’m so out of your league.”

Now  _ that  _ made Harry crack out of his serious demeanor, breaking out into light laughter. “Fuck off, you’d be lucky to tie me down.”

Damn, he had missed just talking with Louis, being in his presence. Just being able to watch from afar truly did not hit the same as he felt a joy he hadn’t felt in months. 

“Really, Louis, how are you feeling?” And he really wanted to know. 

Louis sighed, looking away. “I just - can’t believe it. I keep thinking any minute I’ll wake up and this will all be a dream. When I saw you - I thought I must’ve been tripping again. I recognized you, of course, but… you looked so different, at the same time. Those damn poisonous berries…” 

Harry stiffened; a part of him had hoped that Louis had forgotten about the situation right before he had been killed. It hadn’t occurred to him before how his appearance must have changed since the last time Louis had seen him. Though he had no way to tell exactly how his face looked, he could see his pale white hands and feel his newly sharpened teeth with his fingers. 

“That boy with you… who was he?” Harry knew, of course, but he wanted to hear Louis’ version of events. Did Louis truly ever really care for him? 

“Oh,” Louis’ features flattened, “That was Luke. I met him when I went out to town one day; he was like a lost puppy, Haz, I couldn’t just leave him there. I thought we got along as partners; I would've even considered us friends. But I guess when it came to life or death…” 

At his own mention of life or death, Louis seemed to remember something, features lighting up again, but not exactly in a good way. If anything, he looked mildly upset. 

“Why -” Louis took a deep breath, trying to contain himself, “Why did you leave me for so long? I thought you were dead - cried over you for months! Did you really care that little about me?”

Harry’s eyebrows raised comically. Of all the things he was expecting Louis to say, it wasn’t that he had never cared for him. “Louis - look at me! After I had woken up and regained my strength, the first thing I wanted to do was see you. But… I heard what you and Luke had said about my kind being monsters - I would have been nothing but someone to kill in your eyes. You would’ve hated me. And so, uhh,” Harry cringed at what he was about to say next, “I kind of… watchedyoufromafar?”

Louis’ face dawned with rage and recognition. “That- that was _you_ following me around for months? I thought maybe it had been that beast that attacked us. You absolute _creep!_ ” Louis jumped to his feet, pacing the room. Harry had no doubt in his mind that if there had been a soft enough object around, Louis would’ve thrown it at him. 

This wasn’t going well, not at all. Harry calmly got to his feet, unsure if he should touch Louis or not. “Louis, I can explain-”

“And- and the fact that you thought I would kill you, just like that? You know what, maybe I actually will now that I know you literally _stalked me_ for the past few months-”

“I was protecting you!” Harry insisted loudly, throwing his hands in the air. “I heard you talking - there were no ferals near your area for months! That… that was because of me. I scared them off, so you could be safe.”

If Harry was expecting Louis to be impressed, he was incorrect. Louis scoffed.

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much.” He had now stopped pacing the room, standing nose to nose with Harry, staring up at him challengingly. 

“Obviously not,” Harry scoffed right back, “or else we wouldn’t be here right now. In fact - you would be dead right now if it weren’t for me! I’m the one who killed that feral and changed you, remember?”

It was clear, at this point, Harry knew exactly the wrong thing to say. Louis smiled, a wicked glint in his eye. “You admit this _is_ your fault then, Harry? That’s a new one.” he began collecting what little possessions he had, which included a single dagger and… Harry’s old coat. Harry couldn't help but soften at the sight of Louis shrugging it on, but then felt nothing but rage. No. It wasn’t ending like this. 

He grabbed Louis’ elbow, stopping his movements. “Stop.” he commanded. 

“Let go of me,” Louis whined weakly, struggling to put the coat on with Harry’s hand tight on his elbow. 

“I know I fucked up,” Harry spoke very quickly, knowing he only had seconds to change Louis’ mind, “I did a lot of things I regret but - we can fix them together. I can’t do this without you.”

“Yeah, well,” Louis sniffed, tugging his elbow out of his reach, “I had to live without you for  _ five months _ and survived so I think you’ll be fine for the next eternity.”

With no other way to grab Louis’ attention, he went against his better judgement and decided to poke the bear. “You aren’t innocent yourself, are you?! Maybe if you hadn’t been such a coward we could’ve avoided this whole mess and-”

_ Smack! _

And just like that, the words were literally slapped out of his mouth, as he stood there, dumbstruck, with a stinging handprint burning on his cheek. Yeah, he probably deserved that. But - now Louis was heading out of the room with much more fervor, acting as though he would rather be anywhere else in the world but here. 

“Louis - wait. Let’s talk this through, yeah? Where are you going?”

But it was too late - Louis had already made it to the door, resolutely not looking back. But it seemed as though he couldn’t help himself. Stomping back into Harry’s space, he began;

“You’re right, Harry. I don’t want to be a monster like you. I never asked for this. I think - I think I would rather be dead in that forest than be anything like you. But you know what?” Louis frustratedly wiped a tear from his eye. “If you had come to me that first day? I wouldn’t have hated you. We could’ve figured it out together. Maybe I could’ve even -  _ learned  _ to want to be with you forever. But now -” he looked away, not wanting to see Harry’s miserable face any longer, “Now, I think you were right all along. I hate you, Harry Styles!” he turned sharply, reaching for the door. “Please… don’t try and look for me,” was his last request.

As soon as he managed to get the door open, he pushed through the wall of elder vampires, sprinting off into the woods with his newfound speed. In only a couple minutes, it could be impossible to tell where he had headed. 

No one had to say anything before Zayn ran after him, but Harry stayed where he stood. He had caused enough damage as it was. If Louis hated him forever now, that was just the way it was. Maybe he even deserved it. 

He thought Louis was the love of his life, and that they would spend the rest of their lives together at some point. He got one thing correct, at least. As much as Louis may hate him now, Harry knew he could never hate him back, as much as he tried to. Odds were, they would probably never see each other again. But you know what they say. 

Time heals all wounds. 


	5. Chapter 5

_2020_

  
  


The six a.m. alarm clock blare awoke Harry from his slumber on the early Monday morning. Shoving his head further into the pillow, Harry flung his arm out toward the source of the sound, it being his phone, groaning in distress. Failing spectacularly, he only managed to knock his phone off of the nightstand with his flailing limb, causing a soft thump against the carpet as the alarm continued to go off, loud as ever. 

Harry opened his bloodshot eyes reluctantly. Everyone hates Mondays, indeed. And so he dragged himself out of his king sized bed, first headed to the bathroom. 

It was hard to say whether Harry’s life had changed drastically or not over the past few centuries. After Louis had run from the shelter, Zayn running after him, neither of them had been seen again. Every once and awhile, Harry couldn't help but wonder if either of them were still alive, or had even managed to make it out of the woods. 

He stepped into the shower, letting the scalding hot water burn into his skin. 

Harry had stayed with the rest of the crew, though, saving dying humans stranded in the middle of nowhere until London eventually went back to normal, people flooding the streets once again. Of course, they probably should've been expecting it. All feral vampires had to either die out or be saved at some point, right? But, selfishly, Harry was glad for it, in a sense, as it did a good job of keeping his mind off of other issues. After things seemingly went back to normal, except for the existence of vampires, of course, Harry wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. 

The vampire friends he had made over the decades, them being Liam and Melissa, had their own lives to live now, and he had wondered if after all they had been through, that would be it for them. He should’ve known better, though, as even after all these years, Liam still hasn’t left his side. 

Harry stepped out of the shower, immediately grabbing a nearby towel, scrubbing it over his head to attempt to dry his hair. Wrapping the towel loosely around his waist, he began brushing his teeth with a specialized toothbrush that was made especially for his sharpened vampire teeth.

Despite the presence of Liam, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of being very alone. Louis had been his first love, the first person he saw himself being with for all of eternity. Back at his job at the blacksmith’s, he decided that to get himself out of his rut, he had to put himself out there again, but not for love. While his days were spent at his monotonous miserable job that he had once loved, his nights were spent in other people’s beds, to which in the morning he would disappear. 

It was only until the late 19th century that someone managed to catch his eye again. It wasn’t that Jacob was the love of his life, but he was good company. Maybe he was just the distraction he needed. Together, they worked at the new factory company job that Harry had recently picked up, and managed to hold on together well into the 20th century. That’s when Jacob asked if Harry would turn him into a vampire, so that they could be together forever. 

Harry spit out his frothing toothpaste, ambling into his closet to get dressed. He scanned over his options. Business suit, business suit, business suit. A lot of options. Deciding to be dangerous, Harry picked out one of his business suits, shrugging it on from his tailored pants to his flat-ironed neck tie. 

Jacob was a sweet boy, but he didn’t understand. After all, Harry had never told him about Louis before, how the guilt still haunted him. Maybe he was a little selfish, projecting his trauma out on him, but Jacob was too. It would’ve been cruel for Harry to change him, anyways; Harry knew he didn’t love Jacob. He just… needed more time, alright? And so Jacob agreed to wait. 

That’s when World War I started drafting, taking Jacob with them. Even if Harry wasn’t in love with him just yet, he still cared for him. Years after the war had passed, Jacob never returning home, Harry allowed himself to cry. Could he have fucked up his opportunity of love two times in a row? After all, if he had just changed Jacob, he probably would’ve still been alive… 

Afraid of being hurt three times in a row, Harry gave up on long-term love, throwing himself into his work. As far as he was concerned, his workplace was the love of his life. In fact, Harry even managed to build his own company up from the ground, having such a passion and skill for building things with his hands that he decided to go for it. Today, he was CEO of his own company, _Styles Inc._ , where they built and manufactured furniture, weapons, machinery, and just about everything else that could be built. 

Finally done with getting ready for the day, Harry grabbed an apple on the way out the door, munching on it idly as he hopped into his Range Rover. Amazingly enough, he had never thought to leave London, despite the fact that was his dying wish in his short life as a mortal human. 

In his opinion, managing his own company was the perfect distraction, exactly what he needed, as he hadn’t had any romantic interests in decades. After all, he was a very busy man, with hardly any free time. Of course, he could make free time if he wanted; he was his own boss. But the way he was living right now was exactly how he wanted it. At least, he thought so. 

Harry pulled up to the building, into his own shaded, reserved parking space he used every morning. He sighed contentedly. It was a good day to be the boss. 

Every night was the same, though, forced to be alone with his thoughts as he ate his sad microwave dinner with a warm glass of blood. He lived in a large, luxurious house, could probably have anyone in the world that he wanted, and yet, the seat across from him at the table stayed empty, no matter how long he stared. 

Maybe he just needed an animal around. A cat, perhaps.

Out of the quiet, soundless room, his phone blared loudly from the counter with a phone call incoming. Despite the surprise, Harry didn’t jump, simply standing up robotically from his spot at the table, checking his phone, which was the newest in the market, despite the fact that he never used it for anything more than communicating with…

_Liam_ _,_ the Caller ID displayed. 

Harry really wasn’t in the talking mood right now, but he knew he couldn’t hide from Liam forever; if he ignored him tonight, he would call again tomorrow, and then the next day, and then he would _know_ something was wrong, even after all these years when he’s finally convinced him he’s on his feet again mentally. He accepted the call, albeit reluctantly.

“Harry!” Liam was immediately screaming in his ear. Harry had to pull the phone away from his ear so that it wouldn’t explode. “What are you doing tonight mate? Me and a couple of the lads from work are at a pub and -” there was a violent crash in the background, causing Liam to shout louder still, “we were just talking about how we’d love for you to join us!”

Liam was lying to him right now, and they both knew it. Harry wasn’t exactly the life of the party anymore, if he ever was. Not to mention, he had never met any of Liam’s “work friends” before, and he didn’t exactly want to get Liam’s friends’ hopes up just for him to see he was just… well. Not as they expected? Liam was a bit of a social butterfly, you see. It would only be uncomfortable for everyone involved, and he simply wasn’t in the mood. And that’s exactly what he told Liam, who had seemingly moved to a quieter spot, as he wasn’t shouting anymore. 

“You’re never in the mood anymore,” Liam sighed. “Is it too much to ask to want to spend some quality time with my best mate that isn’t in his freakishly too big house?”

Harry rolled his eyes, but frowned. He didn’t really have an answer to that; it wasn’t exactly a party every day in his company. 

“I’ll have you know I bought that freakishly big house at a _freakishly great price_ _-”_ he commented weakly. 

“There he is,” Liam chuckled warmly. “Sometimes I have to wonder where that lad I used to know went- who was he again? That one guy who went for what he wanted, not afraid to take risks without thinking of the consequences- god, it’s on the tip of my tongue-”

Harry sighed deeply through the line. “It’s me.”

“That was you?!”

“Yeah. There’s a reason I stopped doing those things, Li. They got me in trouble they-” he frowned, “they cost me everything.”

“Don’t say that,” he could hear Liam frown through the phone, could practically see the line appear between his bushy eyebrows. “You let one mistake rule your whole life. No one deserves to live like that.”

Harry glanced at the clock. 9 p.m. “I didn’t mean for this to turn into my therapy session…”

“It’s no sweat off my back!” Liam answered cheerily as ever. “Besides- it’s probably best you don’t come over anyways.”

The guilt was due to eat Harry up inside, one of these days. “I was just going to head up to bed but uh… I could head over for a minute I suppose?”

“Ahh…” several shouts and crashes could be heard from the other line, “Honestly, it’s probably best if you don’t, to be honest. For both of our sakes. Besides,” he chuckled, “I know this isn’t exactly your scene. Another time, yeah?”

“Yeah…” Harry said reluctantly, “Listen, Liam, I’m sorry I haven’t seen you in a while I just-”

“It’s all good mate - I gotta go, though, alright? Getting kinda messy around here, if you know what I mean,” he laughed nervously. “But listen - you’ve been alive around fifty centuries and have barely lived through any of them,” Harry allowed himself to chuckle at that - _fifty centuries his arse -_ “Just promise me you’ll start to go out more, yeah? Take some risks and have some pity on your poor old lonely best mate. And HEY -” Liam was now shouting again, “CALL ME NEXT TIME YOU’RE FREE - I HAVE CRAZY NEWS!”

And with a click, he was gone. Harry didn’t even want to know what Liam had gotten himself into. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said, though, about living more, taking more risks. Making a mental note to schedule a day to meet up with Liam, he cleaned up his one dish, throwing the plastic container in the garbage. 

He headed up to his bedroom that night alone, to repeat the same schedule the next day, and the next. 

That is, until Thursday afternoon, when he receives an unexpected phone call. 

“Have those papers in my office by the end of the week or you’re fired,” Harry barked as he stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him. 

He practically collapsed on top of his revolving chair, finally allowing himself to release a deep sigh. As much as he hated being the bad guy, some of his employees simply did not know how to do their jobs. 

Wiping a frustrated hand down the side of his face, Harry straightened in his seat. He turned to his computer, ready to type out some spreadsheets when his office phone alerted him that a call was coming in. All of his calls on his office phone had to go through his receptionist first, so this had better be good; he was a busy man. 

“Styles,” he snapped through the line. 

There was a crackle on the other side of the line before someone spoke. “Is this uh…” what sounded like paper crumpling sounded through the line, “Mister Harry Styles, CEO of Styles Incorporated?”

Harry raised an eyebrow, though the strange man with a heavy Irish accent couldn’t possibly see it. “That would be me.” Obviously.

“Brilliant!” the man exclaimed from the other side, clearly overjoyed. Harry had to wonder how long this man had been trying to get a hold of him, and if he should be afraid. “Hello, Mister Styles! If I may introduce myself, my name is Niall Horan, and I have got a - erm - proposition for you? A favour might be a better word, but that doesn’t sound very good, does it?”

“Um…” Harry was unsure how to reply to this.

“Do you like children, Mr. Styles?” Niall interrupted before Harry had time to think of one. “A family man? Married? Have any kids of your own?”

“I suppose I do, I mean I’ve not thought about settling down for a while now but - wait, what’s the meaning of this?”

“Yeah, you’re right, that is a bit of a weird conversation starter. Damn, I’ve gone and fucked this all up, haven’t I?”

“Mr. Horan, why have you called me this fine evening? I’d love to sit around and chat all day, but I do have a job to do, and I’m sure you do as well.”

“Yes, yes, of course I understand,” Niall stammered, clearly nervous. “Let’s just start over, yeah? Nice to meet you, Mr. Styles, my name is Niall Horan, and I’m a kindergarten teacher.”

Harry pulled his mouth away from the receiver an inch so he could sigh deeply. He didn’t like where this was going. 

“My partner and I - you’ll meet him if you say yes, of course - are doing a bit of a career day for our kids, and we’d absolutely love it and be very grateful if you would be able to come down and talk about your job a bit and what you do as a businessman. Out of curiosity uh - what do you do?”

“I run a business!” Harry exclaimed exasperatedly. Who was this guy, anyways? 

“So can we count on you to show up to the career day? The school is on Sunflower Boulevard, I can give you directions if you need them…”

Harry placed his fingers on his forehead in annoyance. He was ready to tell this Niall Horan guy to bugger off and not call this number again, when he remembered what Liam had told him the night before about getting out more… doing things he wouldn’t normally do… 

Still a little iffy on the idea, he decided he could check his schedule first. “What day and time is this… career day thing.”

“It’s actually tomorrow at 9 in the morning, if that’s okay. I tried to get a hold of you quicker, but your receptionist was adamant. Guess she finally gave in today, eh?”

Guess there wasn’t much time to think it over, then. Harry took a look over at his schedule that sat right on top of his desk, searching for Friday, hoping that he had a booked day, and he wouldn’t be able to make it. 

Shit. 

Without giving himself too much more time to think it over, he spoke without thinking. “I’ll be there,” Harry blurted out. 

As Niall cheered in delight and prattled on about what exactly they would be doing, where he should go to find their classroom, and how grateful they were that he was doing this, Harry couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into. 

When Niall finally let him hang up the phone after at least another ten minutes of blabbing, Harry tried to think of the bright side. He liked kids, after all. Why not make their day by telling them all about what he does? And Liam would be pleased. At least it’s a day not spent holed up in his office; he was meeting new people! 

And he planned on telling him just that as he picked the phone back up, dialing the familiar number. 

He only hoped this decision wouldn't end up being a mistake. 

\- - -

 _This decision may have been a mistake_ , Harry thought to himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the kindergarten. 

Stepping out of the car, he already felt like a bit of an ass in his too-big Range Rover and his outfit; he was definitely overdressed for the occasion with his business suit. Quickly glancing down at the piece of paper in his hand where he had scribbled down the classroom number, he couldn’t help but wonder what other careers would be presented today. As he walked around, observing the scenery, he spotted a middle-aged woman who seemed to be wearing a sundress, headed the same direction as him. Yep. Definitely overdressed. 

At last, he managed to find the classroom in question, the dainty, painted on number _505_ being surrounded by what looked like the handprints of each child in the class, along with flowers, butterflies, and who knew what else… scribbles, he supposed. 

He knocked on the door, checked his watch. 8:50 a.m. Would he be early or late? Being punctual was always tasteful. Would the kids be there already? There were so many things he wished he would’ve asked before coming… he could feel himself ready to sweat in the damp London morning. 

“Coming!” a voice called from inside the classroom. Harry waited patiently, continuing to observe the heavily painted door in order to calm himself. In fact, it was quite calming, wasn’t it? He hadn’t noticed before… at the very bottom, everyone had signed their names, albeit sloppily. Most legible of all, however, must’ve been the teachers’s names. 

There was Mr. Horan’s name, of course, though he probably wouldn’t have been able to understand it had he not already learned his name due to the muddy brown he had picked blending in with all the students’, and right below it, a clear, beautifully signed _Mr. Tomlinson._

The door opened, and he was greeted by who he assumed was Mr. Horan, who had brown hair but bright blue eyes. His pale skin and light pink bags under his eyes gave away that he was like him; a vampire. The man exclaimed in delight when he saw his face, confirming Harry’s suspicions when he saw his sharpened teeth, excitembly ushering him in, insisting he call him Niall; Mr. Horan was his father. All the while, Harry was trying to take his mind off of the clear signing of Mr. Tomlinson on the door… he knew that name. He hadn’t been able to forget that name for nearly two centuries now. But it had to be a coincidence, right? Tomlinson was a fairly common name, and London was quite big… 

“Welcome, welcome!” Niall announced loudly; it didn’t look as though any children had arrived, yet. Only Niall, the sundress lady, and a big burly man with a handlebar mustache seemed to have showed up so far. 

The area was quite a nice size, considering it was only a small kindergarten class. The floor was padded from top to bottom with foam, rugs, and blankets of all sizes, so there were no hard places to hit your head. Harry idly wondered if he should take his shoes off. The walls were painted bright pinks and yellows, in a similar fashion to the front door; flowers, butterflies, and smiling suns greeted him at every turn. And on one wall against the far side of the room sat a similar signature - Mr. Horan and Mr. Tomlinson’s Classroom. 

Harry wasn’t sure what exactly they were teaching these kids nowadays, but it was surely nothing that he had been taught as a child. Where desks should’ve been, there were what seemed to be handmade miniature pillows, big enough for one child to sit, lined up in small rows and columns. The only school-related item seemed to be a whiteboard in the front of the room, with a small desk shoved in the corner, where a multitude of trinkets lay. In the chair attached to the desk sat an acoustic guitar that looked well-used. 

“My partner - he’ll want you to call him Mr. Tomlinson at first, something about being taken seriously - he’s waiting for the kids down at the bus stop; they should be here around 9:30. There’s still to be a couple more people coming, but…” he trailed off awkwardly. The three people who decided to show up to their poorly put together career day glanced at each other awkwardly. 

“Anyways,” Niall shook himself out of his stupor. “Why don’t we go over what exactly we’ll be doing here… Alexis,” he pointed to the girl in the sundress, “you’ll be going first to talk about your nursing. Dave,” he pointed at handlebar, “you can talk about your time in firefighting.”

At that moment, a man with dark, greased hair in ratty-looking clothes showed himself through the door. By the looks of him, he looked like he wasn’t sure what he was doing here as much as Harry. 

“Ah, Alex!” Niall exclaimed. He seemed to be doing that a lot, and the ringing in Harry’s ears was proof. “You can go on after Dave to talk about your musician life and er… promote creativity?” Alex frowned at that, but said nothing, hands shoved deep in his pockets. 

“And, if that’s all we have today, Harry - you’ll be last to talk about what you do as a businessman!”

Niall then stood back to look at them all, seemingly pleased with himself. Meanwhile, Harry was itching to find out who this mystery Mr. Tomlinson was. _It’s nothing_ _,_ a voice kept repeating in his head, _there’s no way it’s the same person you knew all those years ago, it’s too much of a coincidence_ _…_

After a few minutes passed in agony while Harry sweated, Alex looked bored, Alexis hummed to herself happily, Dave texted on his phone, and Niall continued to go over the rules time and time again, a stampede of footsteps and happy, loud chattering approached their door. 

“It’s time! Everyone - get in your places!”

But where exactly they were supposed to be headed happened to be the one thing Niall had failed to mention in all of his speeches. Naturally, that caused four fully-grown adults to stumble all over each other as they clambered to the back of the room where they would be out of the way. 

Lining up in chronological order like they were the kindergartners in question, Harry was shoved to the back, unable to see as well as the others when the kids burst through the doors. Stepping back to get a better look, he counted about twelve students. Not that bad of a turnout, then. 

That’s when he heard him. He couldn’t see his face exactly, but he would recognize that voice anywhere. His last words to him had haunted him all these years… how could he forget? If only Dave wasn’t about seven feet tall, he’d be able to take just one peek… 

Harry stepped out of the neat line they had formed as all the children sat down on what seemed to be their respective pillows. And there he was. It was amazing, Harry thought to himself, how even after all these years, Louis was still as beautiful as the day they met. 

His caramel-brown hair had been sweeped into a soft fringe so that grazed his forehead delicately. He had worn a cable-knit white sweater today so that he looked softer than ever, hands bundled up in the sleeves so that he was giving himself slight sweater paws. The tight jeans he wore accentuated his curves perfectly. 

Louis seemed to be having a hushed conversation with Niall; straining his hearing, Harry attempted to listen in through all of the babbling of the children. 

“... this is all?... we promised the kids… at least Alex showed up....”

At the mention of the man one spot ahead of him, Louis’ eyes flicked over to the small line they had formed. Panicked, Harry hid behind Dave’s towering stature again. The last thing he wanted was for Louis’ first time to see him again just for him to be a creep. Once he deemed it safe to stop his pathetic hiding, he studied the back of this Alex fellow’s head carefully, taking in his leather jacket and packet of cigarettes stuffed in his back pocket. Harry had to resist the urge to scoff. Louis wasn’t his anymore, and he could see whoever he liked. 

“Alright class,” Louis announced to the class. Immediately, the rowdy children quieted. His voice was soft, yet commanded the attention of everyone in the room. “As you guys know, today is Career Day!” He gave the small class a second to clap politely. “Now, I expect you all to be quiet and respectful while they’re speaking, and to keep all questions you may have until the end. These are our guests, who have taken time out from their day to talk to us, and we will treat them with as much respect as they choose to give to us. Clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Tomlinson,” the class chorused back to him. Harry had to admit, he was impressed with how the two seemed to have these students wrapped around their fingers. Some good fun and free will mixed with discipline seemed to work just fine. 

“Alrighty then,” Louis smiled. “And remember, you can be anything you want if you put your mind to it. No dream is too big!”

Everyone positively beamed at Louis; his energy was simply too pure. Harry couldn’t help himself; he smiled, too. 

“Our first guest today will be Miss Alexis, who specializes in nursing down at the local hospital,” Louis smiled. “Come on down, Alexis!”

The class once again politely cheered as Alexis happily walked to the front to the class. Harry, however, did not hold onto the same attitude. This was it, wasn’t it? The first time Louis would see him. The last time Louis had seen his face, he had told him that he hated him… 

With Alexis having the floor, Niall and Louis had moved to sit on their own respective seat cushions among the class, near the back so they wouldn’t block anyone’s view. Harry wondered if Louis had made all of those cushions himself. 

“But, of course, there’s not just nursing in a hospital!” Alexis gushed, who was obviously passionate about her line of work. “There are doctors, therapists, radiologists… medicine is all about helping people!”

After a long pause, the small crowd took it as their cue to clap. 

“Questions?” Alexis asked nervously, playing with her hair. 

After a beat of silence, Louis’ hand shot in the air. “How much schooling did you have to go through for this occupation?”

That seemed to get the ball rolling, children asking questions that ranged from hilarious to quite intelligent. It was only when Alexis stepped down, being offered her own cushion to sit on, that Harry realized he would have to think of what to say. 

“Next up, we have Dave, who works as a firefighter!” Louis announced with a smile. 

The line got one person shorter as the classroom erupted into polite applause. Shit. What did he do again? Maybe he should’ve taken Niall’s question on the phone the night before a little more serious.

Before he was ready, Dave began taking questions, which only led to him taking an unoccupied cushion, watching as the next person in line got called up. 

“You just might know this next guest,” Louis chuckled as the children squealed excitedly, “Next up is Alex, who works as a musician!”

The cheers for Alex were considerably louder than any other guest so far as he went up rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed but smiling. 

There was now no one in front of Harry to block him from Louis’ view. Louis could simply turn his head to the back of the room and see him in an instant. Harry almost wished he would. But no - the only one he had eyes for was Alex, who awkwardly stumbled through his speech. Harry didn’t dare mock him; he knew in only a few minutes, he would be in the same position. 

As they went to questions, Harry rehearsed his speech quickly in his head: _my name is harry styles i work at styles inc. a company that i founded myself i work in business it's basically just talking to people all day while you’re secretly dying on the inside-_

All too soon, Alex went to sit down on his own cushions, seemingly pleased that he wouldn’t have to speak in front of the judgeful children anymore. How could the questions have passed that quickly?! Had he really spent that long thinking up that pathetic speech?!

“Last, but certainly not least, we have-” Louis consulted a piece of paper sat in his lap that seemingly told him all of the names of all the guests and their occupations, “Harry… Styles?”

He heard all of the breath leave Louis’ body on those last two words. He could only imagine the look on his face. Determinedly, Harry looked straight ahead, refusing to look anywhere near Louis’ direction. _I can’t do this. I can’t do this._

The walk up to the front of the classroom seemed like a lifetime. Harry’s leather boots padded softly across the entirely carpeted room, and the random thought crossed his mind that he was glad it wasn’t tile in case he passed out. 

At last, he reached the point where all those before him had stood. Harry peeked up at the children, who were staring at him curiously. Not dislike, just simple curiosity from a young child’s perspective. He had made bigger speeches in front of much more important people. _I can do this._

Harry cleared his throat, which echoed throughout the otherwise silent classroom. Deep breaths. Just don’t look in Louis’ direction. 

“So like your teacher said, my name is Harry Styles. He did, however, forget to mention what it is that I do, which I am very injured by, so let me enlighten you.” The audience spared him with some pity laughter. He was decidedly not looking at Louis. 

“I am the CEO and founder of Styles Incorporated. Now, I know what you’re thinking: what the heck does that mean? And I’ll be honest with you; a whole lot of boring adult stuff!”

He had to be entertaining them well enough, as nearly every sentence he’s said so far had garnered a response.

“Word!” Alexis yelled out from the audience. He kept going. 

“The gist of what we do at my company varies; the company focuses around building things. Look around this room - anything you see, we could make. But there’s also accountants, who deal with money, secretaries, who work with people, and a whole lot of other things!

“But I didn’t come here today to try and convince you to go into a career that you’ll hate. I created this business because I was passionate about something; I knew that I was good at it, and that if I worked really hard, I could make something of myself. And so that’s the lesson you should take from my career… if you’re good at something, go for it. Questions?”

Immediately, small hands shot up into the air. Harry chuckled to himself incredulously. Who was he supposed to choose first?

“Cass - you go ahead,” Niall prompted. 

A blonde girl with her hair up in pigtails excitedly put her hand down as she was chosen. “How much school do you need to be - be a businessperson?”

“Well, it depends...”

“I have a question,” Louis interrupted loudly. Shit. Fuck. 

“Erm…” Harry still hadn’t looked directly at Louis’ face yet, and he refused to start now, while Louis was yelling at him in front of everyone. He had hoped they could’ve avoided an altercation altogether… 

“What are you doing here?” Louis asked harshly. “Who do you think you are?”

“I- uh…” Harry could feel his face heating in embarrassment, not to mention he had no idea how to respond to Louis’ questions in front of all these five year olds. 

“Mr. Styles!” Niall spoke over Louis’ next comment, “Please, could you answer Cass’s question again? I didn’t quite hear it all. I apologize for the inconvenience.” Louis silently seethed beside the embarrassed Irish man. 

“Yes, of course,” Harry beamed at the lifeline he was just given. “Where was I…” 

The rest of the questions seemed to pass in a blur. The least he could say for his day was that the kids seemed to not hate him, and, well, at least he would have something to talk about with Liam next time they met up. 

As the last question finished up, everyone applauded politely as Harry awkwardly stood there. He wasn’t sure if he was to find his own cushion now, as he was the last one up, but thankfully, he didn’t have to think about it for too long. 

“Alright kids!” Niall exclaimed, jumping to his feet. All of the adoring children immediately turned their heads to the back of the class to see what he had to say, Harry forgotten. “How about we take a quick recess break, and meet back in ten?”

Before he could even process the fact that he would now be forced into an almost empty room with Louis, the children cheered in pure joy, rushing through the door in an instant. So much for not having to face Louis. Maybe if he snuck out while no one was looking…

“Styles,” an all-too-familiar voice called out to him right as he headed for the door handle.

Sighing resignedly, he turned to face Louis. He didn’t look like he expected him to, though. If anything, he looked sad. What happened to the fired-up man who had called him out in front of a bunch of five year olds?

“What are you doing here, Harry?” he sighed. “Come to stalk me again?”

Harry decided to ignore that last comment. After all, he wasn’t wrong. “Louis - I swear I had no idea you were here. Once I saw you walk through that door, I wanted to leave right away. BUT not - not in a bad way! I’m so happy to see you, actually, I didn't know if you were… alive.”

Louis did not look impressed, but at the very least, he didn’t look upset anymore. Harry counted it as a win. 

“Thanks Harry, that means so much,” Louis said in the most monotone voice possible. Harry knew he was being sarcastic. 

“Look - I can leave right now and we don’t ever have to see each other again, if you don’t want to. Actually, now that i know where you are, I can avoid you even better! What do you say?” Harry held his hand out for a shake. 

Louis scoffed at Harry’s offered hand, to which he brought back to his side. Despite Louis’ feigned disgust, he seemed unsure as to what his next move should be. He looked around, seemingly lost.

“So, uh. That Alex fellow,” he prompted, looking over at said man, who was now examining the old guitar from earlier carefully. Niall watched attentively, clearly annoyed. “Are you two dating or…”

“And so what if we are?” Louis bit, gaining his fire from earlier back, “so what if we’re boyfriends, and we hold hands, and go on dates together? You don’t have a right to say anything about it- I won’t let you do your stalker-y vampire thing and scare him away-”

“Hey- HEY I never said- I didn’t mean- _ugh_ ,” Harry groaned, becoming annoyed, himself. “I was just making conversation! Obviously the years must’ve changed your ability to be polite, because all I’ve seen so far is you acting like a right bitch!”

_SLAP!_

Harry’s cheek stinging with the power of which he was attacked, Louis walked away to converse with Alex, who was questioning Niall about his old guitar. “Spent a fortune on this one, I can’t just sell it and buy a new one!” he vaguely heard him protest. 

But Harry had heard enough; at last, he was free to leave the classroom and practically sprint back to his vehicle. Not only did Louis still hate him, but he’s pretty sure he still thinks he’s a creep. His still stinging cheek confirmed that much, which, okay, he had deserved. Harry hadn’t let his anger get the best of him like that in years. What made that moment different? He hoped seeing Louis again wouldn’t bring back his past self who thought too little about the consequences of his actions. 

When Harry finally slammed the Range Rover doors shut behind him, stomping into his too-big house, he called Liam, ready to tell him all about his afternoon. He _had_ to hear this, if he could even believe it. 

Holding the phone up to his ear, the phone rang. 

And rang.

And-

_We’re sorry. The phone number you have dialed-_

Harry pressed the little red button to end the call, puzzled. Has Liam ever hung up on one of his calls before? Right as he was about to call back, just to make sure he had heard correctly, his phone dinged with the alert that he had just received a text message. 

_soz m8 cant chat now how about lunch tmrw @ 12 village pub got crayZ news!!!! :D_

Harry rolled his eyes at the state of his text message that he never would’ve been able to understand when they had first met, but replied. 

_Sounds good! I’ve actually got some crazy news for you as well; it’s why I called. See you tomorrow. H x_

Liam had brought up the supposed “crazy news” the last time they had spoken as well. Liam did have a way of over-exaggerating, so it was probably nothing that would exactly blow his socks off. Still, he looked forward to the next day, just to see the look on Liam’s face when he told him he had run into Louis Tomlinson. 

\- - -

What. The. Fuck. 

The Village Pub was a regular spot Liam and Harry went to on their little friendship dates. The Village Pub was interesting because on one side of the property, there was a seating place where people would go to have lunch or dinner and eat out with friends or family. On the other side, however, was your typical pub, where they served alcohol of all kinds. For your typical bar, it was actually quite tame, as they didn’t want people on the restaurant side to be too bothered, but luckily for Harry, that was just his type of scene. 

The next day, Harry walked into the pub expecting to see Liam sitting at their usual spot; a booth in the corner where they would stay to eat their food and proceed to head over to the bar to play a game or two of pool. It’s five o’clock somewhere, right? It was nice to have a proper lad’s day out every once in a while, anyways. 

However, when he walked in that day, he saw Liam sitting in their usual spot, but he was not alone. Zayn. 

It was too late to turn around and walk away, call Liam and say he couldn’t make it because he had been feeling quite sick lately and didn’t know if he had it in him to have a day out. Liam had been watching the door, awaiting his arrival. Harry only had to imagine the look of pure panic on his face, as the look of joy that Liam had on his face when he first saw him disappeared, instead being replaced by pleading. _Please just come over here_ _,_ his eyes said. And so he did, shuffling his feet the whole way over. 

With Liam and Zayn on one side, Harry slid across the opposite side of them. He already felt on edge; Zayn hadn’t taken his eyes off of him the whole walk over. There was a beat of silence. 

“Zayn.” Harry greeted. 

“Harry,” Zayn said simply back. They had never been close in the few months they lived together. 

Harry looked at Liam, who had still not said anything, glancing nervously between the two. 

“Liam,” Harry said calmly, though Liam had jumped as though Harry had shouted. “Is this the uh… crazy news I was to find out about today?”

“Kind of, but… not really,” Liam squeaked. “Actually, it’s a bit of a long story-”

“Howdy y’all and welcome to The Village Grill. How may I take your orders this lovely afternoon?”

In the tension that had settled, they had forgotten they were actually at a restaurant. Everyone mumbled their orders, waiting to continue the conversation until the kind waitress left the vicinity. When she walked away happily into the kitchen, the same awkward silence when Harry had first arrived came back. 

“So- uh - the- the thing is-” Liam stammered. 

“Just spit it out, mate,” Harry interrupted, calm as ever. The waitress returned, setting down their drinks with a smile. Liam gulped, ignoring his cold drink for the moment. What could he be so nervous about, anyways? Sure, Zayn and him had never been best friends, but surely Liam didn’t think that was something he would be so upset about that-

“Zayn and I are engaged.” Liam blurted out. Zayn simply beamed beside him. 

Like a scene from a cartoon, Harry spit out all of the blood he had just taken a sip of. “What?!”

“IknewyouwouldreactlikethiswhichiswhyIdidn’twanttotellyouinthefirstplaceand…” At that point, Harry stopped listening, as Liam was now mumbling to himself indiscernibly. Harry sipped his blood angrily, eyeing the red splatters that now covered the once clean tabletop. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zayn lift his arm in welcoming. Curious, Harry turned to face the door to see who he could be greeting. 

Louis. Louis was now walking through the doors, headed right for their table. Could this day get any more miserable? 

The small lad seemingly felt the same, as when he saw Harry’s face, his face broke out in angered shock. With nowhere else to go but next to Harry in the booth, Louis slid in next to him so that they were side to side. Unconsciously, Harry scooted a few inches away from the boy. Though Harry couldn’t see it, Louis frowned at him. 

“What’s this loser doing here?” Louis said as a greeting, pointing his thumb in Harry’s direction. Harry couldn't tell when he was joking or not anymore, and he hated it. But he didn’t even know who Louis was anymore, so really, he had no right to feel this way. “And what’s… all this?” he said with thinly veiled disgust, running a finger over the drying blood on the table. 

That’s when what Louis said really hit him. He wasn’t surprised to see Liam. “Wait- Liam, how long have you been seeing these two?”

If possible, Liam shrunk even deeper into the booth cushions. “Uhm… well… I’ve been with Zayn for about two years now, and he introduced me back to Louis about… six months ago?”

If Harry had taken another sip of his beverage, he would’ve spit it out again. As an alternative, he choked on his spit. “What- why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Zayn asked me not to!” Liam cried desperately. “He didn’t- he didn’t want Louis or you to meet again… until absolutely necessary, y’know.”

All eyes now turned to Zayn, who seemed surprised at the attention. Turning his attention to his own drink, he sipped it calmly, seemingly not planning on giving anyone an explanation anytime soon. Harry fumed. His own best friend, being in a serious relationship for two years now, and didn't even tell him. 

“Until the wedding, then?” he said bitterly. “You knew?” Harry turned to face Louis, who looked as puzzled as ever. Louis looked at him for the first time without rage being the main emotion. 

“What- I have no idea what’s going on. What are you going on about?”

“Lou…” Zayn finally set his drink down reaching out for Louis’ hand. “Liam and I are engaged.”

“WHAT?! I didn’t- I didn’t even know you were dating?!”

Harry couldn’t help it; he laughed.

“Oh, bugger off you tosser,” Louis punched him in the arm. “Why- what- I mean, I’m happy for you! Really! But I just- I-” surprising everyone, Louis got up, leaving the booth, heading straight to the bar. Five o’clock somewhere, indeed. 

“Louis, wait!” Zayn called out, moving to follow. 

“I’ll go,” Harry interrupted. When Zayn glared at him, he elaborated. “Trust me, alright?”

Zayn looked to Liam for help, though he didn’t do much. Liam simply nodded at Harry, encouraging him, which was all he needed. Heading over to the bar, he spotted Louis immediately, who had already ordered himself a drink. Uninvited, he plopped himself on the bar stool next to him. 

Louis said nothing. That’s how he knew something was wrong, even more than him walking away from the booth to grab a drink at noon. 

“A spiked glass of red, please,” Harry said to the man who came up to him behind the bar. He would probably need to be a little out of it for this conversation as well. Louis still hadn’t said anything, staring moodily into his own glass. 

Harry opened his mouth to say something - what, he wasn’t sure, but it was better than sitting in silence. What was an appropriate conversation starter in this situation? Thankfully, Louis beat him to it. 

“I just- I think it hit me just now that I’ve been alive over two centuries and I’ve not settled down with anyone. What’s wrong with me, Harry? Why aren’t I the one engaged right now, telling all of our friends, holding their hand under the table, planning the rest of our lives together?”

The man behind the bar returned, placing the glass of dark red in front of Harry with a clunk. Louis took that as a cue to throw his own back, draining it. Without asking, he stole Harry’s drink out from under him, draining that, too. Harry said nothing, letting him vent. 

“It’s not that I’m not happy for them either, y’know,” he rasped, “it’s just this ugly, bitter, selfish monster that just came out of me. Not to mention, I can’t believe he didn’t tell me! We should've been there at the proposal, crying along with all of the onlookers - who do you think proposed, by the way? My bet’s on Liam, he’s always been a softie.”

Harry hummed non-committedly, sipping on a new drink that he had ordered while Louis continued on with his ranting. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve been in a _real_ relationship, y’know? The thought of marriage seems so pleasing yet… it’s so distant.”

“But - what about that Alex guy?” Harry couldn’t help it; he was shocked out of his silence. After all, hadn't Louis all but admitted to him the other day that they were dating? 

Louis laughed quietly behind his glass before taking a sip. Harry was glad he could make him smile, at the very least, even if it was at his expense. 

“Alex and I… aren’t dating,” he admitted with a sigh. “It’s just a casual thing; I would hardly even call us friends. I called him for a favor, and he came through.”

Harry set his glass down, turning his body to face Louis’ fully. “Why would you lie to me about something so silly?”

“Because it’s none of your business,” Louis snapped, his face immediately falling afterwards. “I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I’ve been a bit on edge lately with Zayn keeping secrets with me - guess now I know what about - and everything else going on… maybe I wanted to see you get angry with me. To argue a little bit. It helped get some of my frustrations out, at least. It’s not that big of a deal, though, right?”

“Well, my stinging cheek from yesterday would beg to differ.”

Louis erupted in a fit of giggles, to the surprise of everyone. Shocked, and unsure of what to do with himself, Harry turned to where Liam and Zayn had been sitting to see them still there, looking toward the bar with about the same expression Harry had on. Harry simply raised his eyebrows in an ‘I-don’t-know’ gesture.

As he turned to face Louis again, he watched as he slammed down yet another glass, gesturing to the man behind the bar for another. Ah. That must be why he’s loosened up. 

“I’m sorry, okay? Forgive me, Harry!” he shouted, dramatically flinging an arm over his eyes.

Afraid that Louis would topple off of his rickety barstool, Harry took his arm, forcing him to sit up. “Alright, alright, I forgive you,” he laughed. 

Louis sighed again; he seemed to be going through emotions quite quickly. But then again, Harry had never seen Louis tipsy before. Changing moods yet again, Louis gave Harry a small smile. 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asked quietly. 

Harry was taken aback by the question. “Why - how do you mean? I would never be mean to you on purpose, because I wanted to hurt your feelings. Except when we’re arguing, of course. Sorry I, uh, called you a bitch.”

Louis giggled again, except not manically like last time. Softer, in a way. “No, don’t be, I-” he swallowed, and belched once, “I _was_ a bit of a bitch, wasn’t I? I was taking my anger out on you and- and it had been so long since I’d seen you last so it was such a surprise and my first reaction was- anger.” He seemed a tad embarrassed. 

“No, that’s totally valid,” Harry said quickly. “That’s kind of where our relationship was left off, wasn’t it? Unresolved anger.”

Louis simply stared at him for a moment, considering. It wasn’t a withering glare, though; if anything, he seemed content, better off than he had been when Harry had first approached him. It surprised Harry, actually, how well they had been getting along. He idly wondered if it was just because of the excessive alcohol and pushed the feeling away. _Later,_ he thought to himself. _Worry about Louis still hating you in the morning._

And so he did. 

\- - -

“Tell me about yourself, Harry,” Louis said out of nowhere. He had now switched to fruity, colorful looking drinks. 

Harry choked around his sip of his own fruity drink that Louis had forced him to get, amused by the question. It was a miracle that they were both supernatural creatures in this life; had it been an alternate reality, they probably would’ve passed out from all the alcohol they had consumed by now. As it were, they were now both playfully tipsy. 

“What are you talking about? You know me,” he laughed. 

“Do I, though?” Louis insisted. “I know human Harry, who liked to go fishing in the morning and build things to make our lives easier. Not to mention, he was obsessed with me - not that I blame him.”

Harry snorted, but didn’t reply. 

“Harrrrrryyyyyyy,” Louis whined.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Harry whined right back. Louis simply pouted at him, put out by Harry not putting up with his antics. “Let’s strike up a deal, alright?” Harry sighed in resignation. “Tell me about yourself first. Goodness knows I need time to think of a way to make myself sound more interesting.”

Louis shot him a dazzling smile, and even through his inebriated state, Harry felt butterflies. Louis seemed genuinely pleased at the opportunity to talk about himself, though, as if within the past few years, no one had cared enough to ask. 

After Louis had fled that night, he ran with no destination in particular. All he knew was that he was lost; he had no idea who he was anymore. He ran and ran and ran, until he was sure he was clear on the other side of the woods, where no one could ever find him. Only problem was, Zayn had followed him, which he had discovered not long after he had stopped running. 

Louis was upset with him at first; didn’t he understand he needed to be alone? He never wanted to see any of their faces again! Zayn wasn’t swayed, however, explaining that he was there for him not only to teach him how to survive in this new body, but if he ever needed to cry, he would be that shoulder. Begrudgingly, Louis allowed Zayn to follow, as long as none of the others knew where they were. Zayn promised they did not, and that was enough. 

It took a while before the world went back to normal, and it took a while before Louis did, too. Not only was he forced into a life he didn’t ask for, but he lost more than just himself; he lost Harry - twice. Though he would never admit to Zayn that it hurt more than when he thought Harry was dead, he didn’t have to. Zayn then promised himself that if it were up to him, Louis would never have to encounter Harry again - not after all the pain they had caused each other, namely Harry. 

In an attempt to lift Louis’ spirit’s, Zayn insisted that he didn’t need that green-eyed monster to leave London; in fact, they could travel the world together. There was something that Louis knew about Zayn that he also would never admit - he missed his old family made up of Liam and Melissa. Louis had ruined that for him, he knew. This would be as much a vacation to him as it was to Louis. With this in mind, Louis agreed easily. 

Through the mid 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Zayn and Louis traveled as much as they could, staying in some places more than others. They even lived in certain places for an amount of time. As predictable as it sounded, Louis admitted that Paris was his favorite city in the world. It was the place in which he realized he didn’t need love to be happy. He was given a chance to live instead of die in that woodland, and he was going to start appreciating it more. 

On their trip to Ireland near the end of their journey, they met a friendly lad by the name of Niall. Meeting by good luck when they had bumped into each other in the train station, Niall had become somewhat of a tour guide for their trip in that country. When it became time for Zayn and Louis to make their leave, Louis insisted Niall come with them; in the short time they had known each other, he had a good feeling that he couldn’t let Niall go; he was a once in a lifetime kind of person. Niall, who was clearly a newly-changed vampire, was desperate to leave the country, as much as he loved it; his family had not been accepting of the new monstrous being he had transformed into. Happily, the trio headed back to London together. 

Heading back with all thoughts of Harry in the very back of his mind, Louis decided he wanted to go to university. With more than enough money from being alive more than a century, Zayn encouraged him to do whatever made him happiest. Niall, being excitable and nervous in this new and unfamiliar city, decided to join him, majoring in music while Louis decided on psychology. 

His college days sure were interesting. This was the point in his life when he figured out what he truly wanted in not only a relationship, but as an occupation. He was in two different serious relationships during his journey towards a psychology degree. In the first one, they just sort of “fell out”, he explained. It was the sort of situation when one day you’re in love, the next, it’s like you’re sleeping next to a stranger. He met the next boy when he was in his senior year. After Louis graduated, they moved in together in a ratty old apartment, but never toyed around with the idea of marriage or children; it was too early. 

Louis hit his breaking point when the man, with his engineering degree, tried to convince him that he shouldn’t get a real job, be nothing more than a housewife, stay home all day, despite the fact they had no children or pets. If you think I spent four years in university just to stay at home and wait for your sorry ass all day, you must be out of your damn mind, Louis had said. He walked out and never looked back. 

It wasn’t until the 1960’s that Louis realized he wanted to be a school teacher. Packing away his psychology career, he headed back to university to get the requirements to teach children. Niall wasn’t technically a teacher, Louis admitted. On paper, he was only Louis’ assistant that he called in every once in a while, but in reality, he did just about as much work as Louis did. 

And through it all, Zayn had been more than a best friend to him; he had been like family. Which was part of the reason that him hiding something so big from him hurt so much. 

At this point, it looked as though Louis was about to pass out from the combination of how late it had become and all the alcohol he had consumed, slurring his words together. Taking a glance at the clock, Harry was surprised to see it was midnight. Had they really been here that long? Looking back to the table where Liam and Zayn had sat what seemed like seconds ago, he found it empty. Had they not even bothered to say goodbye?! Harry supposed that was their cue to leave. 

“Louis, love, you suppose it’s time to head out?” 

Louis protested weakly, mumbling something about wanting to hear about Harry, because he promised. 

Taking a moment to pay the bartender, he glanced back at Louis, to find he had already passed out, his face pressed against the bar counter. 

Harry chuckled lightly, picking Louis up, slinging his body carefully over his shoulder, as to not wake him. “Another time, yeah?” he said to himself. 

Walking out to the parking lot, he realized he had no idea where Louis lived. Hoping he wouldn’t regret his decision in the morning, he placed Louis carefully in the backseat of his Range Rover. Harry supposed he would be sleeping on the couch tonight, though it would be worth it knowing Louis would be sleeping somewhere safe and not in that grungy bar. 

It was a long drive home, Louis’ soft snores coming from the backseat. Every time they came across a speed bump, Harry would purposely slow down more than usual, keeping mind of the peaceful boy. 

As Harry pulled up to his too-big house, he realized this was the first time in what seemed like forever that someone other than Liam had been over. Self consciously, as he headed to the back to pick up Louis and carry him into the house, he wondered if his house was as sad and disgusting as he last remembered it being. 

Walking into the pitch-black darkness of the house at nearly one in the morning, he decided it didn’t matter, for now. Maybe if he woke up hours before Louis, he would have time to clean the entire house and then leave to hole up in his office so he wouldn’t have to see Louis in the morning and how much he regretted pouring his heart out to him last night…

Up the stairs he went, willing himself not to pass out on the stairs and risk killing both of them. They wouldn’t die, of course, because y’know, immortal and all, but hell, would it give them a headache. 

Finally, they arrived in Harry’s bedroom that was too large for one, but seemingly perfect for two. Lying Louis down on his king sized bed, he made sure to place him directly in the middle, even covering him up a bit with some sheets. As much as he wanted to fall asleep on his soft, warm, very tempting bed tonight, he knew he had no other choice than to tiptoe silently down the steps and flop down on his couch. Right after placing a bucket, bottle of water, and some pain pills next to where Louis was sleeping, of course. You’d think with all this room, he’d have thought to install a guest bedroom. 

Allowing himself to relax for the first time that night, he closed his eyes and fell asleep…

\- - -

…only to awake with a bang, what seemed like only minutes later. 

The pounding in Harry’s head paired with the ruckus going on somewhere in the house was not a good wake up call, to say the least. Sitting up groggily on the couch, Harry glanced over at the clock he had set up over the television. 11 a.m. Had he really been asleep for that long…?

Head still pounding, he wondered how he couldn’t have remembered to set out some water and pills for himself as well. But back to the banging sounds coming from what now seemed like just one room over. A gut-dropping thought came to Harry’s mind: _burglars._

What kind of burglar broke into a house in the middle of the afternoon, he wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t put it past them. In today’s society, the existence of vampires was pretty normalized, but there was still a group or two of people on the streets that would call them “freaks” or “monsters”. Harry usually just ignored them, but he had to say, breaking into his house was a step too far. 

While Harry was usually an advocate for vampires being big, scary monsters who kill humans for a living, he knew he had to bring out the big guns. He wasn’t really sure how to be “scary”, but he figured if he just hissed at them a little, like in the movies, they’d scatter. It sounded like they had entered his kitchen by now. Creeping up behind the doorway, he peeked in, ready to scare the perpetrators when-

“Louis?”

The smaller man jumped at the sound of his voice, glancing over for only a second before he resumed his actions of making a ruckus of his cabinets, not saying a word. Seeing as Louis hadn’t blown up on him just yet, Harry figured this was a good time to talk about last night. 

“Listen, Louis,” Harry started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “I’m sorry if I, uh, made you uncomfortable last night. I wasn’t expecting… things to escalate so quickly.”

Louis closed the cabinet he had been rustling through just to open the one next to it, continuing to search for an unknown object. He didn’t appear to be listening to a word Harry was saying. Nonetheless, Harry continued. 

“I don’t know if you can remember anything that happened, but. I don’t know where you live, and you were pretty wasted,” he chuckled. “So uh… That’s why you’re over here. Nothing happened. Promise.”

He couldn’t see Louis’ face through the shield of the cabinet door, but he could’ve sworn he heard him scoff. Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. 

“And erm… if you need anything else while you’re here, just-”

“A-ha!” Louis exclaimed at last, retrieving a half-empty box of cereal and a bowl from the cabinets he’d been hiding himself behind. And with that, he walked the opposite direction of where Harry was standing, placing his items on the kitchen island. 

Stepping hesitantly forward, Harry realized that this was ridiculous. He shouldn’t be afraid in his own house. But Louis was acting suspiciously cold to him again, as if they hadn’t bonded, in a way, the night before. The only way to find out was to ask, he supposed. Louis poured a reasonable amount of chocolate cereal into the medium sized bowl. 

“Did I- did I do something wrong?”

Louis practically slammed the cereal box down, beelining to the fridge. Harry calmly followed behind him. 

“Listen - I thought, even if you don’t, like, want to be my friend or anything, we could at least-”

“What?!” Louis whirled around, milk jug in hand. “We could at least what?! I don’t owe you anything.” He stomped over to his bowl, pouring a considerable amount. 

“... get along.” Harry finished. 

Louis _hmphed_ , returning the milk to its rightful place. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, Louis turned to look at Harry, glaring. “Where do you keep your utensils?” he asked grouchily. 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry had to smother a laugh. “They’re uh… right over there.”

Mumbling a reluctant _thank you_ _,_ Louis began digging into his sad breakfast. With how uncomfortable the air had become, as much as Harry still loved Louis, he almost wished he would leave already. 

“So… did you want me to drive you home when you’re ready?”

Louis nearly choked on his chocolatey breakfast in protest. “No!” he coughed, attempting to gather himself. “Absolutely not!”

“Why not?” Harry asked, eyebrows scrunched up in a scowl, offended. 

“Because,” Louis argued, swallowing a spoonful of cereal, “then you’ll know where I live! And then,” Louis’ eyes grew impossibly larger, “You’ll have all the more excuse to follow me again. Or maybe - maybe you’ve already been doing it! You’ve known where I’ve been this whole time and- and you’ve been biding your time!”

Harry’s mouth was hanging open in a mix of amazement and shock. “Louis,” he began, trying not to laugh, “I mean this in the nicest way possible - you sound like an insane person right now.”

“Well excuse me for being a little on edge for being trapped in a house with- with someone like you!” Louis abandoned his cereal, stomping away into the living room. Harry followed, both desperate for answers and unsure what Louis’ plan was; if he was planning on destroying his house, he would have to get a word in. 

“What do you mean, _someone like me_?” Louis was now heading up the winding staircase, Harry following a reasonable distance behind. 

“Oh, I don’t know, Harry,” Louis’ voice echoed throughout the large, spacious house, “Why don’t you use your big CEO brain to figure it out?”

Harry was caught between a scoff and a snort, but managed to hold both down. Instead, he broadened his steps when he saw Louis enter his bedroom. 

As he entered the bedroom, afraid of encountering Louis breaking all of his possessions, he found him slipping his shoes on and grabbing his phone off of the bedside table. However, when he went to leave the room, Harry blocked the doorway. He wasn’t trying to be a dick; he just wanted to talk things out, and wasn’t sure when he would see Louis next. Louis opened his mouth to protest, but Harry beat him to it. 

“I’m not an idiot, alright? I know why you’re upset with me. But… I’ve apologized? And I’m not saying that makes up for what I did but. If there’s anything I can do, I’d be willing to do it. Please, just talk to me.”

Reluctantly, Louis plopped himself down on the bed. Harry took a few steps further into the room, but otherwise stayed where he stood. If Louis wanted space, that’s what he would get.

“I want to call Zayn and go home,” Louis glared down at his feet. 

“You can call Zayn and leave right now if you want. I don't wanna force you to do anything,” Harry frowned. 

Louis sighed. “I don’t know if there's anything you can do to make me feel better I just- I’m just hurt, you know? You betrayed my trust.”

“I’m sorry about everything that happened between us. Before anything else, you were my best friend. I just miss you and I hope you can forgive me at some point, even if it takes another two centuries.”

“Hmmm yeah it's just… old feelings coming back because it was a shock to see you again y'know.”

“Yeah, you kinda explained last night about snapping in the classroom…” Harry said, not thinking much of the weight of the words. 

Louis’ head snapped up. “You remember last night?”

“Yeah…” Harry hesitated at the tone in his voice, “you told me about your life and stuff it was nice. I think I like drunk Louis more, to be honest.”

“Hey,” Louis glared without malice. 

“No really it's nice to hear about a version of you I don't know yet. I know 18th century Louis but I don't know 21st century Louis.”

Something in Louis’ expression suddenly closed off. “Yeah well... the first and the last time.”

“Why do you always do this?” Harry sighed, not annoyed, just tired. 

“Do what?” Louis glared. There was no sign of playfulness in his stare anymore. 

“You always shut down whenever we start getting along? What are you afraid of?” 

“You don't know what you’re talking about,” Louis began fiddling with his phone.

“Lou please you don't even know the address - I think you’re really-”

“You know what I think?” Louis asked, shoving his phone in his pocket, walking up into Harry’s space. He was so close Harry could practically count the freckles adorning Louis’ cheeks. “I think you need to mind your own business,” Harry took a step backwards, but Louis followed, “I don’t need you in my life, and that it was better when we didn't know each other at all and- and-”

Yanking the neck of Harry’s t-shirt down so that they were a similar height, Louis smashed his lips to Harry’s passionately. 

Out of pure shock, and nothing else, Harry pushed Louis away so that he stumbled back a few steps. For a moment, the two just stare at each other, Harry's mouth hanging open in shock, Louis’ mouth hanging open in… betrayal? Immediately, Harry realized his mistake. 

“Louis…” Harry stepped forward cautiously.

“No,” Louis shook his head, as if to clear it, hurt written all over his features. “I- I’m sorry, I just- I’m sorry.”

And before Harry could even fully process what had just happened, Louis ran from the room, out of his life. 

\- - -

It was a Sunday, and Harry had no plans. 

Feeling rather lonely and down about the day before, he decided to do some pondering. And so by noon, he was walking around the local park, which was somewhat stranded for yet another cloudy London day. You wouldn’t be able to tell, what with how different it looked from his youth, but Harry actually had quite a bit of history with this part of London. What was now a pleasant city park with a sitting area, a place to feed the birds, and a playground for the kids, used to be the bustling city of London back in the year 1795. And just beyond that forest, which had been roped off with a chain link fence, was where he had lived for the better part of a few decades. But more importantly, where he had met Louis. 

He was feeling reckless. He wanted to climb the fence, go traveling in the woods; perhaps live there forever. He’d write Liam a letter in apology, and then change his name, live his life as an outcast. Nearly at the fence in question, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. That’s when he saw - him. 

At first glance, it looked as though the playground was empty, no children’s cries or shouts of laughter told him any different. However, swinging alone on the swing set, staring morosely down at his feet, was Louis. 

Harry’s breath caught in his throat. After the other day, he wasn’t sure if he would see Louis again, until the wedding, at least. To walk over and talk to him or not? There was still time to jump the fence, start a new life, abandon his responsibilities… but this was also his chance to talk to Louis about what happened. After a moment of hesitation, he came to a decision: _fuck it. What have I got to lose?_

Harry diverted his direction to the swingset, eyeing the vacant spot next to Louis’. His boots crunched under his feet as he entered the sand-filled playground. Louis hadn’t appeared to have seen someone approaching yet, dragging his foot through the sand as he swung himself lightly with the other. 

As Harry took the vacant swing beside Louis, it had to have been impossible for Louis to not know he was there. And yet, Louis did not move from his position, and the two sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t welcomed, either. 

“How did you know I was here,” Louis mumbled, still not looking at Harry. 

Harry realized how this must have looked, him just so happening to find Louis at a park after they had just had an argument. “Coincidence,” he coughed awkwardly, face heating up. 

Louis hummed pleasantly, seemingly letting Harry off the hook this time, to which he was grateful. “I just- needed to clear my mind, I guess,” Louis admitted, still swinging lightly, “you?” he looked over at Harry, who felt himself growing embarrassed once again. 

“I- uh-” Harry looked determinedly away from Louis’ face, “I was gonna climb that fence over there…”

As expected, Louis spluttered out a laugh, muffling it with his small hands. Harry swallowed his pride and watched Louis as he laughed, joy dancing in his eyes. “Why would you want to do that?” Louis managed to giggle out. 

The small smile toying at his lips from watching Louis disappeared as he thought about how to explain his motives. Thinking of it now, actually, it did sound quite ridiculous. But hey, what was one more moment of ridicule? 

“To be honest,” Harry sighed, “I was running from my problems. I thought… I thought maybe the little cabin we built might still be there and I could live my life as an outcast. Now that I think of it…” Louis’ giggles had started up again, “it is quite ridiculous, isn’t it?” he chuckled along. 

After the mood sobered a bit, Louis looked over at Harry shyly. “You think the cabin is still in there somewhere, then?”

“Yeah, ‘course,” Harry replied confidently. “Even if it’s been taken over by animals, or been hidden by weeds, I think it still has to be there somewhere, just waiting for someone to show it some love again.”

The two lapsed into silence once again, except this time it wasn’t as weird. That’s when Harry noticed what exactly Louis was wearing. It looked familiar… a little too familiar. Though it had been centuries since he had last seen it first-hand, he couldn't help but recognize it as his old hunting jacket that he now realized Louis had been wearing when he left him. 

Harry decided to not say anything, in fear of scaring Louis away again with his enthusiasm. But he couldn’t help but feel a flash of hope as he saw Louis pull the jacket tightly around himself. It was nothing, more than likely. It was just a jacket that he had carried along with him for a long time, that’s all. The real question was how, after centuries of having existed, it was still in one piece. 

As he was about to question how it had survived this long, Louis suddenly dragged his sneaker-clad feet through the sand, stopping his swinging. 

“I-” Louis swallowed, “I’m sorry for the other day. I mean, what I said and- most importantly, what I did.”

He didn’t have to explain what he was talking about. “No, I mean- you don’t have to be. It’s, uh- all good.”

Louis frowned. “No, it’s not, actually. I- it was a heat of the moment thing, y’know. I think I realized that I, um. Might still have some unresolved _romantic_ feelings, and. Didn’t really think. And I’m sorry about that, especially since the feelings don’t seem to be reciprocated.” Louis’ tone wasn’t biting or bitter, just embarrassed with a hint of sorrow. 

Harry’s breath caught in his throat as he realized why Louis had been so upset when he had left; he thought he had been rejected. “I didn’t mean- that’s not- no. It was just- a surprise, that’s all. I wasn’t expecting… I thought you hated me,” he finished weakly. 

Louis snorted at Harry’s awkwardness. “Right. We’ll call it an accident, for now. But I’ve actually, um. I’ve sort of been warming up to that ‘being able to stand each other’ thing you were talking about?”

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really, now?” 

Right as he was about to retort, Harry’s phone rang loudly in his pocket, startling them both. Harry frowned, annoyed, as he dug it out of his pocket to find it was his work calling him in. 

Harry looked over at Louis, who was already looking at him. “I should go. Work related stuff… you know how it is.”

“Yeah,” Louis smiled sadly. “I’ll- um. I’ll call you. Except- oh. I don’t have your number.”

“Did you-”

“I-”

They both spoke at the same time, as enthusiastic as the other, stopping themselves when they heard the other speak. 

“Go ahead,” Harry encouraged, laughing slightly. 

“I can probably get your number through Liam- you can go, if you’re in a rush.”

“No, I’m not but uh. Yeah, you can do that, too.”

“Harry!” Louis exclaimed, exasperated, but laughing, “Go!”

“Alright, alright, since you’re so eager,” Harry jumped up from his swing, pretending to be offended. Before he walked away, he had a spark of bravery that he was sure he would regret later. “By the way, I- uh. Wouldn’t mind that “accident” happening again…”

And before he could see Louis’ reaction, Harry walked as fast as he could out of the park back to his car. He could’ve sworn, though, that he heard the twinkle of Louis’ soft, flustered laughter travel through the whistling wind. 

\- - -

Harry and Louis can't stop bumping into each other, which is weird considering they managed to spend the past two centuries without seeing each other at all. The only difference from the past week or so was that Louis didn’t seem averse to the thought of seeing Harry anymore. 

Only a day after the two had bumped into each other at the park, Louis had apparently retrieved his number from none other than Liam, like he said he would, and sent him a text. Honestly, Harry thought he had been bullshitting and thought up an excuse just to be nice, but damn, had Louis’ tune changed. Not only did Louis send him at least a text a day just to check up on him, but he was practically begging for a chance to meet up again. In fact, Louis’ mood toward him had changed so fast, he almost had to wonder if he was… okay. 

Just the other day, Harry had gone out grocery shopping at last to fill up his fridge when he spotted Louis browsing a nearby aisle. To be a polite “friend”, as that was what they were trying to be, as of right now, he decided to head down that aisle to say a quick hello. Unexpectedly enough, Louis’ face positively lit up when he saw Harry, looking as though he was fighting the urge to hug him. If anything, that only made Harry all the more concerned. Unable to help himself, he had to know if anything was amiss. 

“Lou- have you been feeling alright?” he asked hesitantly as Louis inspected the soup cans. 

“How do you mean?” Louis hummed distractedly, in the end deciding to choose the soup with _blood flavored - tastes like the real thing!_ stuck on its label. 

“You just- you seem cheerier, lately? It’s unlike you. No offense,” he tacked on the end, albeit lamely.

Louis hummed again, browsing the aisles with a sort of pep in his step. “Maybe,” Louis commented lightly, “you’re not cheery _enough_.”

That made Harry stop and think for a moment. Oddly enough, it forcibly reminded him of what Liam had told him only a few weeks previous, about living his life more and not being so, as he would call, “stuck up”. 

And maybe. Just maybe, they were right. 

Perhaps that was also why Harry was now sat with his phone in his hand, staring down at Louis’ contact name. It’s just- it was just a phone call, after all, right? But the thing was, it was more than that. 

Harry thought about the person he used to be, who would’ve already called Louis right now, overly-confident in his feelings, unaware that love did not, in fact, last forever. But it seemed as though, for now, at least, the old Harry in all of his cocky glory would have to make a reappearance. 

Leaving his self-deprecating thoughts behind, he dialed Louis’ number, holding the phone up to his ear while he listened to it ring. He was confident, he was brave, he could do this. It was just Louis, after all. 

“Hello?” Louis’ scratchy voice came through the line.

_He couldn’t do this._

“Louis!” Harry blurted out quickly before his newfound courage left. This was, after all, the first time they had spoken over the phone. 

“Harry!” Louis yelled in the same tone, amusement laced in his voice. “Not that it’s not lovely to hear from you but… was there a reason you called…?”

“How would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? Just you and me… if that’s okay. I have a uh-” he paused, “proposition to offer you.” Harry cringed at his own wording. He could already hear Louis’ rejection through the phone, his excuse to not go. He was busy, he had other plans-

“Sounds fun!” Louis chirped cheerfully. “I’ll have to find something suitable to wear for tonight, of course…” he hummed absentmindedly. “I have a feeling you won’t be telling me what exactly this, uh, “proposition” entails, right?”

“Absolutely not,” Harry answered without hesitation, garnering a surprised laugh from Louis. “And you’d look wonderful in anything, by the way,” he tacked on awkwardly but genuinely.

Louis thanked him softly; he could practically see his blush and fluttering eyelashes through the phone. 

After they figured out a time and how they would be getting there - they would drive separately, Louis saying he could catch a cab - Harry hung up the phone at last, dramatically flinging himself on his couch. 

He may just be about to humiliate himself in front of Louis tonight, but he had to take the chance. Maybe he’d end up fleeing into the woods and living his life as an outcast, after all. 

\- - -

It was 6:30 in the evening, and Harry pulled up in his Range Rover to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, _La Nuit_ _._

Look - it wasn’t like he was trying to impress and spoil Louis like he did in the old days, but that was exactly what he was trying to do. If the signals that Louis was sending came to Harry correctly, tonight should go fine, but, If Louis took it the wrong way and started hating Harry all over again, (which he still wasn’t sure how that happened), it seemed as though burying himself in the woods was his only option. 

Harry had arrived a half-hour early to make sure everything was exactly how it should be. He had bought the restaurant out so that it would just be the two of them - being the CEO of his own successful company did have its perks. 

A single circular table with two chairs facing each other sat in the middle of the room, the only light source coming from a few lit candles and the moonlight from outside. The table was covered by a white embroidered cloth, patterned with small pink strawberries on its edges. Checking in with the chef, everything was good to go. They would have a three-course meal with an appetizer, main course, and dessert. 

A bit over the top? Sure. But why not?

An old man at heart, Harry wore the clothing that reminded him of his youth the most; a white ruffled shirt underneath a blazer and slacks. While he would never be able to afford this kind of getup back in the day, it was better late than never. 

With everything looking as ready as it ever would be and Harry ready to sweat through his obnoxious fancy clothes, he decided to sit down at the table to hyperventilate for a bit. He didn’t get quite as much time to relax as he hoped, though, as he saw a taxi pull up outside the window and Louis step out. 

Sitting up in his seat so he didn’t look as big of a loser as he felt, Harry turned to a waiter as they passed by, requesting a bottle of wine. He had a feeling they both might need it by the end of tonight. 

Once Louis entered the room though, looking around in complete awe, Harry was beginning to think maybe this wouldn’t be so hard, after all. Jumping back up on his feet, Harry pulled out Louis’ chair as he approached, helping him sit. Heading back to his own seat, he looked back at Louis to find he was still taking in his surroundings, seemingly speechless. At that moment, the waiter returned with their wine, setting down two elegant looking glasses, pouring a healthy amount in before leaving. 

Louis seemed to have found his voice at last. “Wh- What? Why? How?”

Harry simply sat back and smiled, bringing the wine glass to his lips. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about…”

“I thought- I mean, I knew this was an upscale restaurant but I would’ve dressed up more if I knew…” Louis pursed his lips, suspicious of the way Harry was looking at him. “What are you planning,” Louis narrowed his eyes at Harry from across the table. 

Harry had the gall to blush, setting down his glass to nervously fiddle with his fingers before gaining some of his confidence back. “This can’t just be me inviting an old friend for dinner?”

Louis raised a thin eyebrow, gesticulating wildly to their atmosphere. “A little over the top for just a get-together between friends, yeah? As lovely as this was for you to do…” he blushed, messing with his fringe, “what is this really about? You said something about a… proposition?”

“Makes it sound more serious than it is, but- yeah. Suppose I’ve grown used to treating everything like a business meeting.”

Louis hummed in understanding, head resting on his fist as he nodded along. 

“It’s actually a kind of- personal thing. I hope you won’t be offended or take it the wrong way and at the very least, we can _really_ try to be just friends after this.”

Louis sat up in his seat, probably sensing that Harry was serious and truly nervous about how he would take whatever he was about to tell him. Louis looked to Harry in a soft sort of way, reaching his hand halfway across the table as if to comfort him. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine. At the very least, I know you won’t have offended me on purpose, because you _wanted_ to cause me pain. I realize that now,” Louis finished, using his other hand to take a sip of his wine. 

Smiling at the gesture, Harry went to place his hand on top of Louis, but at that moment, the waiter returned with their appetizers, setting the platter down on the table between them. In order to make room for the large platter, Louis drew his arm back, placing it back at his side. Harry mentally cursed the waiter for his timing. 

“We start off our three-course meal tonight with a plate of oysters taken from the source itself,” the waiter announced in a posh English accent. Harry noticed Louis trying to stifle giggles from across the table, and couldn’t help but grin himself. 

After bowing dramatically, the waiter left the room asking to only call for him if they needed anything.

“A three course meal, eh?” Louis commented, not hesitating in reaching for an oyster. “You know this is all making me more suspicious, don’t you? What are your intentions with me tonight exactly, Mr. Styles?”

Harry squawked out a laugh. “Good intentions only, I promise. I get only the best for my Louis, that’s all,” Harry swallowed nervously, reaching for the plate of oysters himself. Louis didn’t seem offended by the nickname; in fact, he almost looked… pleased. 

There was a moment of comfortable silence between them as they finished up their appetizers. Harry could tell Louis was dying to ask more questions, get the real reason they were both here out of him at last, but was holding himself back. For that, Harry was grateful. He would get to it eventually, he just needed to find exactly the right time. 

Once the plate had been cleared, the waiter reappeared to take it away, promising the main course would be out soon. Harry took this as a sign to set the mood right for the question he was about to ask. He’d do it after they finished their dinner, right before the waiter brought the dessert plates out. 

“So-” Harry cleared his throat, “I don’t mean to pry but- you and that Alex fellow?”

“Oh- him? Can’t believe you remember that… I haven’t seen him in weeks. I thought I told you we weren’t serious? Just a friend helping me through a hard time, if you know what I mean.”

Harry couldn’t help but cringe on the inside, knowing a little all too well about what he meant. But this could be good news; Louis wasn’t seeing anyone. 

“So you’re… free? No one waiting at home for you?... Single?” As much as it pained him to be so awkwardly blunt, it was important information to know. 

“Well technically Zayn is waiting for me at home, but other than that… yeah.” Louis spared him a soft smile. “Why? You interested?” 

This was a good segway to Harry’s point. He jumped at the chance. “Actually, I-”

“Gentlemen.” The waiter entered the room once again with two steaming piles of food; Louis actually _oohed_ _._ “Dinner is served,” he announced as he placed the platters in front of the respected persons. Harry chose salmon for their main course; it seemed poetic, in a way, to share with Louis what they used to eat together all the time. Unfortunately, rabbit and squirrel weren’t menu options. 

Despite the fact that dinner had been served and looked delicious indeed, Harry should’ve set the mood already by now. “Louis- I actually would like to talk to you about, uh-”

Louis had already dug into his fish, however; you would’ve thought he hadn’t eaten the whole day. “Don’t be shy, Harry, eat up! What were you saying?”

Harry didn’t even bother with picking up his fork; he wasn’t worried about his empty stomach at the moment. He spoke quickly at the chance that they would be interrupted again. “I just think it’s time I put my true feelings out on the table. If you were to accept-”

“You know what I just realized, Harry?” Louis interrupted once again. “I’ve shared with you my entire life story from the last 200 years - you still haven’t told me yours!” His face lit up as an idea seemed to come to him. “And right now is the perfect time to speak about it! Go on- I want to know everything.”

The subject effectively changed, Harry huffed. There was officially no way he was getting out of this one; Louis had him trapped. “It’s honestly- I’m not very interesting.”

“Please,” Louis scoffed. “There has to be at least one story you’ve been dying to tell me, don’t be shy!” Louis leaned forward in his seat, anticipating. 

Quickly stuffing his mouth with fish, Harry took a moment to think with the excuse that his mouth was full. To be painfully honest or to lie and pull a heroic story out of his ass? No. He couldn’t lie to him. 

“To be quite honest,” Harry said, “I’ve spent half of my time in a depressive episode, the other half throwing myself into my work.”

Louis frowned at that, sitting back in his seat. He chewed his food slowly, trying to think of an appropriate response. 

“Ah,” Harry groaned into his hands, “I’ve gone and fucked this all up, haven’t I?”

“Nooooo,” he heard Louis whine from across the table. “It’s just- that’s so sad, to have spent all this time without really living, you know? I-” Louis paused for long enough that Harry felt the need to look up from his hands curiously, “It almost makes me feel like it was my fault, y’know? Maybe if I hadn't blown up and tried to understand…”

“Absolutely not,” Harry shot back, almost angrily. “It was just me feeling bad for myself. You were right to leave me when you did. Believe me, Liam has reminded me more than enough times I’m a bit of a stick in the mud. This is me trying to… move past that phase.”

Louis spared him a sad smile. “I’m happy for you. And I’m really… touched that you’ve decided to share that with me. Now-” Louis leaned forward in his seat again, “real talk. Tell me some stories. You can’t have been _that_ boring, yeah?”

Harry knew Louis was teasing him, but decided to comply. And so Harry took Louis through a short story of his life, leaving out the more depressing times, determined to keep that smile on Louis’ face. He even told him about that one time he swore he nearly escaped a werewolf attack.

“Werewolves aren’t real, Harry,” Louis rolled his eyes. 

“If vampires are real, who’s to say werewolves aren’t?” Harry argued, convinced. 

“I do! I say!” Louis laughed. “You were probably just running from some guard dog that got loose.”

By the time they had both finished their dinners, the mood was significantly lighter; it almost felt like old times, how easily the conversation was flowing. Despite the fact it had been hundreds of years since they had properly had a conversation without it ending in tears, it might as well only been a day. 

It was only when the waiter reappeared to take their dishes away with the promise that dessert would be out soon that the fear and nervousness seeped back into Harry’s stomach. This was it. 

“Louis,” Harry leaned forward in his seat, “I think it’s time to tell you what we came here for.”

He was sure Louis could hear the nervousness in his voice, along with how serious this was to him. Louis nodded encouragingly, sending him a small smile. “Okay.”

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, Harry was unsure where to begin. 

“From the moment I met you, Louis, I’ve never wanted to lie to you, and I’m not going to start now. If at any point you want me to stop, please, just let me know.”

Louis frowned slightly, so blissfully unaware of the turn this conversation was about to make, but nodded softly. 

“I’ve never stopped loving you, after all of these years. When I saw you again that one day, at the school, it was like a dream come true, but also my worst nightmare. The boy that I had pined over for the past two-hundred years was right in front of me… but he hated my guts.”

Nothing in Louis’ expression had changed. Harry decided to take that as a good sign, and continued. 

“I thought that would just be the way things would be with us forever, a one-sided hatred, but… then something changed. I’m still not sure what happened to change the way you saw me, but you started being nicer. Being… able to be in the same room as me without insulting me.”

Louis snorted, looking as though he wanted to comment, but kept his mouth shut, recognizing that Harry wasn’t done. 

“At first, I figured you were just trying to be nice, possibly even trying to be just friends. But there’s something different about the way you look at me compared to Zayn or Liam or… hell, even Niall. I know I may be reading too much into things and that we haven’t been reunited for very long but…”

Harry looked into Louis’ eyes, who was now blushing a bright pink. “May I court you?”

If possible, Louis turned even redder, shocked into silence for a few seconds. As the embarrassment began to creep in from professing his love and being rejected, Louis surprised them both. 

“Of course!” Louis exclaimed, making himself jump at his own volume. He looked around hastily, as if to make sure no one was around to hear. 

Harry, on the other hand, couldn’t be less bothered by Louis’ echoing voice. “Wait- really?”

Louis still looked slightly embarrassed by his own eagerness but overall looked quite… happy. “Of course,” he repeated, quieter this time, “I’m willing to give it a try if you are. Besides,” he grinned, “I’ve always wanted to be courted like a proper lady.”

Harry exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “That’s- that’s great!” he grinned back. “There’s a few- uh- rules that we have to follow, per se. May I read them to you?”

“By all means,” Louis waved a hand easily, smiling at him kindly. 

Harry wiped his sweaty hands on his fancy pants, pulling out a worn piece of paper from his pocket. Unfolding the paper neatly, he read aloud:

  
  


_Two or three dears, and two or three sweets;_

_Two or three balls, and two or three treats;_

_Two or three serenades, given as a lure;_

_Two or three oaths how much they endure;_

_Two or three messages sent in a day;_

_Two or three times led out from the play;_

_Two or three soft speeches made by the way;_

_Two or three tickets for two or three times;_

_Two or three love letters writ all in rhymes;_

_Two or three months keeping strict to these rules,_

_Can never fail making a couple of fools._

Louis hummed sweetly when Harry finished, sipping briefly on his wine. “So… what does that mean?” he giggled behind his glass. 

“It can mean whatever we want it to mean, really. But basically, according to this poem, if we follow these steps, we should be married within three months.” Harry explained patiently. 

At the word “married”, many emotions seemed to pass over Louis’ features until he settled on joy. “When can we start?!”

Surprised at such a well-received reaction, Harry leaned back until a smile of his own appeared on his face. “As soon as possible,” he breathed, exhausted from relief. 

Louis seemed more than pleased with that response, digging into his dessert at last. 

\- - -

It had been a while since Louis had been on a proper date, and much longer since he had considered the thought of being courted. He should have known better, though; Harry had mentioned wanting to court him in the past, and he was keeping good on his promise. 

No matter the reason, Louis was _excited._

It was Monday afternoon, the day they had decided they would officially start the courting process. While Harry had explained the process well enough, Louis still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. After all, this was the 21st century, a time period in which courting was not as popular. 

Harry had to have been on his way by now; it was nearly six p.m., and Louis hadn’t even picked out an outfit yet, too bothered on how to perfectly style his hair. Quickly deciding on the classic fringe, he ran to his closet just as a knock on the door sounded. 

“Coming!” Louis shouted, struggling with pulling a pair of suitable jeans on. After shrugging on one of his most flattering button-ups, he ran to the door to see who was at the door, though he already had an inkling. 

Peeping through the small hole in the door, his suspicions were correct when he found a patiently waiting Harry who seemed to have a few mystery items sheepishly hidden behind his back. 

Louis excitedly pulled the door open. “Harry!” he exclaimed, ushering him in. “Come on in, come on in, I’m almost ready. Make yourself comfortable!” he shouted as he ran back into his room to pull on a pair of shoes. 

Unsure of what to do with himself in an apartment he had never visited before, he decided to find a spot on the beige couch not far from where he stood. Setting his flowers for Louis down beside him, he plopped down on the couch. Only seconds later, Zayn entered from what seemed to be the kitchen, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Hello, Zayn,” Harry said from his spot on the couch. He wasn’t going to lie and say he wasn’t a little intimidated by Zayn. 

Zayn squinted his eyes at Harry, not acknowledging the greeting. “What are you doing here?”

Harry frowned, squinting at Zayn right back. “Louis… let me in? We’re uh…” he trailed off awkwardly at the look on Zayn’s face. He had a feeling if he told him they were courting it wouldn’t go very well. 

Luckily, Zayn didn’t have time to press him, as only seconds later, Louis walked back in the room happily, seemingly ready to go. Harry jumped back on his feet gratefully at his appearance, taking his flowers along as well. 

Louis ignored Zayn as he spotted Harry, running over to his side. “Are these for me?!” Louis exclaimed happily as he spotted the sunflowers Harry had brought; Louis’ favorite. 

“Of course,” Harry said bashfully, handing them over. “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful boy.”

Giving Harry a quick peck on the cheek, he went to the kitchen with his flowers to find a vase when Zayn made his presence clear.

Not having moved from his spot, Zayn cleared his throat obnoxiously, calling the room’s attention to him. “Louis,” he said calmly, “when exactly were you going to tell me you were going out tonight? With… him?” After all these years, it was clear Zayn still had a slight distaste for Harry. 

Louis’ look of serene happiness turned into a scowl within a second. “Not that it's any of your business, _dad_ , but I’m going out with _Harry_ tonight. He has a name, you know.”

Harry simply stood there awkwardly, uncomfortable with the tense aura that had settled between Zayn and Louis.

Zayn sighed, face softening. “Just let me know if you’ll be home by tonight, yeah?”

“I’ll think about it,” Louis said shortly. Tugging on Harry’s arm harshly, Louis steered him to the door until the door slammed behind them. 

Outside where the moonlight had just settled, the two walked silently for a moment before Harry worked up the courage to say something. “So… what was that all about?”

Louis sighed as though he was expecting Harry to ask, but also couldn’t wait to get it off his chest. “It’s just- he’s been very condescending towards me ever since I started seeing you again.” He eyed Harry nervously, watching for a reaction. Harry simply hummed understandingly, encouraging him to continue. 

“He’s been there for me practically since the beginning, y’know? I know he’s just trying to look out for me - stop me from getting hurt again. But I’m an adult - my own person! I don’t need his permission!”

“Zayn has never liked me much,” Harry admitted. Louis looked as though he wanted to protest, but Harry waved his words away before he could start. “No, it’s true. I was never sure why, but. I think if he could understand… if I could talk to him… _alone,_ ” Harry stressed, to Louis’ disapproval, “maybe he wouldn't be so averse to the thought of us hanging out together again.”

“So we’re _hanging out_ now, are we?” Louis smirked. “Where are we headed, anyways? You still haven't told me.”

“Well,” Harry started as he unlocked the car, “I figure, um. Our last big event of the courting will be going to a ball? Where we dance and stuff, y’know. If that’s okay.”

Louis’ face positively lit up despite Harry’s awkward deliverance. Harry opened the passenger door for Louis to enter as Louis began to ask a multitude of questions. 

“That sounds amazing! Oh my goodness, I’ll have to get a suit! Where is it? How did you get tickets? I’ve never seen any local balls around here before! Wait- what does that have to do with what we’re doing today?”

Now sitting in the driver's seat, Harry turned to face Louis, deciding to only focus on his last question, for now. “I take it neither of us are particularly very good dancers?”

\- - -

If the couple expected their dance lessons to be a nice and laid back experience, they were wrong. 

The second they stepped into the studio, the tone had already been set by the nervously awaiting couples. It was dead quiet in the studio, save for the clicking heels of the woman up front. Her hair was slicked back in a tight bun, dressed top to bottom in form-fitted clothing. A man in similar dress with slicked back hair sat behind her on a stool, fiddling with his fingers idly. 

The scary, intimidating woman seemed to notice Harry and Louis at the door at last. “Come in,” she snapped behind a smile, “find a place among the others.”

Perhaps desperate to not get in trouble with their teacher so early on, they found an empty spot near the back, awaiting instruction. 

“Is that everyone?” she asked loudy. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. “My name is Maria Gonzalez. You may call me Professor Gonzalez or Professor Maria. I will answer to nothing else. You have all come here today to learn the basics of dancing with a partner. If you signed up for this class believing it would be an easy, fun time to mess around, you were _wrong._ ”

Giving the class an appropriate amount of time to gulp nervously and shiver in fear at her very presence, she continued. “Dance is more than twinkling your toes and twirling in circles. If done correctly, dance is a form of _art,_ that must be perfected to the highest extent.”

Louis softened at that. As intense as her teaching style may be, she had a passion, and even more, a passion for teaching her passion. The soft, fuzzy feeling he had didn’t have time to fester for too long, however. 

“EDUARDO,” she snapped. The whole class jumped, but none more than the man sitting on the stool behind the professor. Shooting up straight, Eduardo jumped to his feet, standing at Professor Maria’s side. 

“Watch,” Professor Maria said simply, “and then learn.”

Out of seemingly nowhere, a dance track started up through the studio speakers. Without stopping to give their audience a second glance, Professor Maria and her assistant, Eduardo, started up in a complex dance that left her class in shock. She was twisting and bending in places Louis didn’t even know were bendable!

“Are we gonna have to do that?” Louis whispered to Harry conspiritaribly, eyes widening in a cartoonish way. 

“Uh…” Harry wasn’t sure; he was too focused on the way Professor Maria seemed to lift Eduardo with one hand. 

By the end of the professor’s performance, a majority of the class was in a state of shock, but nonetheless cheered animatedly. 

Professor Maria let a small smile grace her features, so small they could’ve imagined it. But it was once again short-lived, as a second later, she slashed her arm through the air as if to motion to her audience to quiet down. 

“One day,” she started, “perhaps you will have the skill to perform that piece.” She glanced around at all of their faces. “That day, however, is not today. Today, we will be starting with the basics.”

The rest of the class thankfully went in a fairly typical and normal manner, going through the motions of the basics of dancing with a partner. That didn’t mean Professor Maria didn’t go just as hard on them, though. By the time the clock hit 9 p.m. and they were let out, Harry and Louis were aching in all sorts of places, and not in a good way. While Professor Maria encouraged them to come back for another class, they knew they wouldn't unless they wanted to break every bone in their body. 

The car ride back was moderately different from the way up, the space being filled up with groans of pain and Harry ‘ _never making Louis do that again_ ’.

It was only when Harry walked Louis back up to his apartment when the entire pain-filled night became worth it. 

Louis idled outside of the door, watching Harry who shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Look-” Harry cracked, “I’m so sorry about tonight. I didn’t think-”

Cutting off Harry’s apologizes, Louis did the same thing he had done only weeks before. Fisting the collar of Harry’s t-shirt, Louis forcibly pressed his lips to Harry’s own. But it was only to shut him up, of course.

This time, Harry didn’t pull away. Instead, he pulled Louis closer, wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist, deepening the kiss. Louis relaxed around Harry’s arms, twisting his arms to be around Harry’s shoulders. Worth it, indeed. 

Not before long, the kiss began to get heated. After weeks of holding himself back, Louis seemed to not have an ounce of shyness left in his body, letting his hands roam. Deciding to get brave and kickstart their relationship to the next level, Louis let his hands travel down to Harry’s crotch when-

“Wait,” Harry gasped, stepping back, untangling himself. 

“What?” Louis asked innocently, batting his eyes. 

“What- what about Zayn?” Harry asked, still staring at Louis’ lips. 

“What _about_ Zayn?” Louis said breathlessly, narrowing his eyes. 

“Are you kidding me?” Harry’s eyes widened. “He’ll kill me!”

“It’s a good thing I don’t care what he thinks, then,” he snapped. 

“Louis,” Harry sighed. “Despite our differences, I know how much Zayn means to you, and I want us to get along. For some reason, I don’t think going in there like this is a way to get on his good side.”

The couple had a staring contest for a minute before Louis sagged, breaking. “Fine,” he sighed. “You’ll come in though, right?” he asked, biting his lip seductively. 

“Yeah,” Harry hummed. “Yeah, I think I will. I think now is the perfect time to ask your dad for your hand in marriage, actually.”

Louis groaned, annoyed, as he pushed open his apartment door, grumbling something about being an independent woman. 

Unsurprisingly, despite the late hour, they walked into a well-lit room, Zayn sitting up awake as ever on the living room couch for Louis to return. 

“How was your night?” Zayn prompted from the couch. Louis ignored him, toeing his sneakers off before heading straight for his bedroom. Zayn followed his retreating figure with his eyes until the door to his room slammed. With Louis out of the room, it only left Harry and Zayn and… the awkward silence. Following Louis’ example, Harry awkwardly took his own shoes off, placing them beside the smaller ones. After a minute of silence, the sound of a shower starting up sounded from Louis’ bedroom. Harry took that as his cue. 

Walking tentatively toward the couch, he stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room for a second. Zayn hadn’t looked at him once since they had arrived. “Is it okay… if I sit?”

Zayn’s eyes flicked to his for a second before he turned the TV off, getting calmly to his feet. “Yeah, but let’s go to the kitchen instead. Louis and I made- well, _tried_ to make cookies last night. Besides, he might be listening at his door.”

Following Zayn into his kitchen, Harry’s eyes flicked curiously to Louis’ door. Did Louis- _warn_ Zayn that this talk was coming? Or perhaps Zayn was as ready to leave their small feud behind just as much as Harry was.

For a small two bedroom apartment, it was actually quite nice. Choosing a seat at the kitchen table, Zayn sat across from him after taking a plate of cookies off the counter. Setting them in the middle of the table so they could both get to them, Harry examined a cookie. They were hard, lopsided, and looked as though they were slightly burnt. Trying to not keep any of this in mind, he took a small bite. Not bad. 

“So…” Harry started after he swallowed his bite, “you must know by now that I’m courting Louis?”

Zayn hummed non-committedly, choosing a cookie for himself. 

“I assume that’s why Louis is upset with you as well- you disagree with his choice?”

“It’s not that I disagree…” Zayn said at last, “he’s smart, I trust him to make the right decisions, and he can do whatever he wants anyways, but.” Zayn took a moment to pop the rest of his cookie in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. 

“But?” Harry prompted. 

“I can’t help but think he can do better,” Zayn said carefully. “No offense. Tea?”

Without waiting for an answer, Zayn rose from his seat, heading to the cabinets where he extracted two coffee mugs. While watching Zayn go through the process of setting the kettle up to boil the water, Harry thought about how to respond. What was he supposed to say to that? 

“Zayn-” Harry decided as Zayn started the stove up, “you’ve never liked me. From the day we first met. Can I ask why?”

Harry was afraid Zayn was not going to answer at first, perhaps going to ask him to leave and say that Louis would call him later. Instead, he took back his spot in the chair across from Harry, looking at him carefully before beginning. 

“Melissa, Liam and I first found you in the middle of the wilderness, a feral vampire sucking all of the life from you. After scaring the feral away, we took you back to base. We wanted to see if we could train a feral to become… humane, again.”

Harry said nothing. He knew all of this already. Nonetheless, he waited patiently for Zayn to get to the point. 

“We tried our best to make accommodations. We weren’t sure what state you would be in once you regained consciousness; you might have wanted to attack us, for all we knew. The first few days were a struggle; we were right, you were desperate for fresh blood, and were willing to do anything to get to it. That’s where we got the idea to kill your prey for you and feed you the blood. As for your hunger, it worked fine; you weren’t happy, but you would survive. When you weren’t bloodthirsty, however, you… mumbled. Shouted, sometimes. Cried for help. For… Louis.

“We thought it might’ve just been a friend you had been surviving with, maybe even a child- but then, the calls began to get more- weird. Possessive. Controlling, even. Sometimes it would sound like you were having a one-sided conversation with someone that no one else could hear. Statements such as ‘get behind me’ turned into ‘I don’t care what you think anymore, we’re leaving’. Though still to this day I’m unsure of the context, it made me uneasy. 

“And then you woke up, confused and eager to get back to what you were used to. It wasn’t until your first experience hunting began until I realized who I was working with. My suspicions were correct; you were overbearing and overly possessive of your partner. You were so obsessed with seeing him every chance you got it was as though- you thought him unable to take care of himself. You were unwilling of the thought that Louis could move on, start a new life on his own. And _Luke_ _,_ ” Zayn groaned. “I know he was an idiot, please, Louis gave me an earful, but it once again proved you were unwilling to let Louis be his own person, live a life where you weren’t the center of it.

“Louis was attacked and we saved him, of course though he had a hard time accepting it. For a long time, he said he would rather be dead. After he ran off that night, I followed him. He wasn’t ready to live life on his own, no so soon after being turned. Not before long, I turned from a mentor into… a friend.

“So that’s why I’ve been somewhat against you since our first meeting. You came into your new vampire life an entitled man who thought he could just take back what he wanted, and left behind a broken Louis, leaving me to pick up the pieces.”

The plate of cookies had since been emptied, only a few crumbs left lying on the plate. Throughout Zayn’s speech, Harry had been nibbling nervously, listening with intent. Breaking through the thick silence that had settled, the kettle for their tea whistled. Somewhere in the background, a shower turned off. 

As Zayn rose from his seat to fix them both a cup, Harry thought about his next few words carefully. “And what do you think about me now, Zayn?”

Zayn took his time to pour the steaming hot water into each of their coffee cups, adding in the tea bags. He only answered after he had sat Harry’s mug in front of him. 

“I think you’re trying to prove to everyone - especially Louis - that you’re a better person now. But what defines whether someone is inherently good or not?” Zayn sipped on his tea silently. Harry wasn’t sure if that was a question he was supposed to answer or not. 

After a long sigh, Zayn continued. “I believe you, to an extent, when you say you are a better person now, Harry. However, I also believe that a good person shouldn’t have to _try_ and be good, they just _are._ Nonetheless,” Zayn sighed once again, “there’s no changing Louis’ mind on this. I know there’s not. And even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. He’s… happy.”

At that, a smile broke out on Harry’s face. “You think so?” he asked eagerly. 

For the first time, possibly ever, Zayn smiled at Harry. “Yeah. I may not trust you entirely yet, Styles, but for now, welcome to the family.”

\- - -

The next three months passed pleasantly, full of dates that went by too fast. Trying their best to follow the century-long old poem that they tried their best to decode, they spread out their activities all throughout the next few months, wishing time would pass faster. 

While Harry had already promised they were going to a ball for their final date, there was plenty of time to pass before then. 

_Two or three dears, and two or three sweets;_

Even when they were apart, Harry would send Louis little gifts, be it from simple flowers and sweets to jewelry and random things he would find that he thought Louis would like. 

_Two or three serenades, given as a lure;_

Though Louis’ protests of threatening to punch Harry if he dared to try and serenade him, Harry felt as though he had no choice. Holding Louis to his chest so he could not run away, he sang to Louis in his worst voice possible through his laughter. 

_Two or three messages sent in a day;_

It was a good thing they now lived in the 21st century and such a task was easier than ever. Though Harry, being the corndog that he is, would joke and insist that they _only_ were allowed to send two or three messages to each other in a day. Doing otherwise was breaking the rules. To compensate, the next time Louis saw him, he punched him in the arm. It’s what he deserved. 

_Two or three times led out from the play;_

It was also a good thing that Harry and Louis happened to live in London, a large city where plays weren’t just about impossible to find. Despite the fact that Grease wasn’t on Broadway anymore, Louis just about insisted that be one of the plays they see. Therefore, one of their “play” nights ended up just being a movie night in with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. 

_Two or three love letters writ all in rhymes;_

Harry would be the first to admit he was no poet and he was probably looking forward to this task the least. Louis, on the other hand, seemed very much up to the task, successfully preparing Harry to have his socks knocked off. Louis, despite his excitement, decided to spare Harry the embarrassment, coming to a conclusion that they would each only write each other one and then they could move on. Needless to say, Louis was solely unimpressed with Harry’s poem, while Harry had framed Louis’ on his wall. 

Before they knew it, the day of the ball had arrived. The night of, Harry pulled up to the shared complex of Zayn and Louis’, feeling almost frighteningly calm. While Harry and Louis had discussed just moving in with each other already, they ultimately decided they would stick with the rules of courting and the poem, waiting until they were officially to be married. Unbeknownst to Louis, that moment was to be tonight. 

It was strange, Harry couldn’t help but think as he walked up the stairs to Louis’ door, he was less nervous about tonight than he had been at the thought of calling Louis up to ask them on their first date. Perhaps it was because he knew, in his gut feeling, that he would not say no. They had been working toward this moment for months, now. 

Preparing to knock on the wood mahogany of the door, the door flung open before he had the chance, revealing Louis. Practically jumping up and down in excitement, Louis was positively dressed to the nines, from his eloquently styled hair down to his new-looking shoes. 

“You don’t need to come in,” Louis said quickly, stepping out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. “Zayn invited Liam over and yeah.”

Harry laughed incredulously. “Whoa, hold your horses. What are you in such a rush for? I’m a little early. If the whole family is over, shouldn't I…?”

Louis groaned, pulling on Harry’s arm impatiently. “C’mooooon, I’ve just-” he huffed, disturbing his perfectly combed fringe, “I’ve been looking forward to tonight. A lot. Alright?”

Harry grinned at that, letting himself be tugged along by the small boy. “Mmmm tell me more about how much you’ve been looking forward to tonight…”

  
  


\- - -

There was about an hour drive to the location in question. While there were chances to take the easier option, find a place in town, in London, where they wouldn’t have to make as big a deal of it, Harry simply didn’t want to. The place they were headed was in a small city where full old, rich people went to retire. Despite the small area, many large buildings were erected all around, dedicated to large events such as balls, plays, and weddings. Not to mention, the scenery was breathtaking. It was the perfect location to remember the most amazing moment of his life. 

Pulling up to the front of the building in Harry’s Range Rover, a valet walked in their direction classily, motioning for them to get out. Louis _oohed_ at the prospect of their ride being taken away by a valet; he had obviously never been treated to such a luxury. In Harry’s company, that would change; how much he would be spoiled. 

Standing outside of the building, they took a moment to admire; it was a mansion, indeed, with a rooftop reaching the skyline. If anything, it looked more like a castle straight out of a storybook. 

Walking inside, it was even better than they could’ve imagined. Everything looked as though it were bathed in a soft rose gold, the dress of everyone around them taking them back to the olden days when balls such as this were more common. 

Taking no time for pleasantries, Harry took Louis’ hand and led him to the dance floor. They were no experts; through all they had learned in one class of dance lessons, it seemed as though not all of it had stuck. Stumbling over each other’s feet ridiculously, it still managed to be more fun than it would be if they glided across the hall perfectly. Their dance routine was very much like them, in a way; messy, but slowly getting better. 

After a good hour of tripping over each other, giggling all the while, they headed to a nearby table to rest with some drinks. Two glasses of white wine in hand from a nearby waiter, they snagged one of the last empty tables just in time. Even the tables were classy; your typical circular table, except it was big enough to fit at least ten people, covered by a laced tabletop sheet, embroidered at the ends with pink ribbon. 

Louis’ cheeks were stained a light pink from the activities of the night and from him heartily drinking the wine. His pink-painted lips seemed to be stretched into a permanent smile, gesturing wildly as he told a story Harry couldn’t hear. The light dancing in Louis’ eyes was much too loud to be able to hear anything else. 

They would be engaged by the end of the night. How could he focus on anything else but how lucky he was?

“Harry? Harry, are you paying attention? I am telling you a tale of an absolute lifetime and you’re looking at me like you haven’t heard a word-” Louis must have seen something in Harry’s face that made him sober, “hey. Are you alright?”

“No, yeah, I just-” Harry shook his head, as though to clear it, “Holy fuck, I’m so in love with you. You have to know that, yeah?”

Louis blushed furiously, the concerned look on his face dissipating. “I… I think I just might love you too.”

Before Harry had a chance to respond, a hush came over the room as an important looking man stood in the middle of the hall, clinking a spoon to a glass. In no mood to listen to some rich snob’s speech, Harry spotted a long spiral of steps leading up to who knows where. Though they would more than likely get in trouble if they were found out in an out of bounds area, Harry grabbed Louis’ hand, sneaking around the area of the ballroom and up the long red-carpeted spiral staircase. A bit of an overkill, if you asked him. 

“What are you doing?!” Louis whisper-shouted, still being led by the hand. 

“In a minute…” Harry whispered back as they reached the top of the stairs. If it was possible, the mansion was even bigger than it looked. Spotting another set of stairs in the right corner, he sprinted them over there. 

“ _Harry,_ _”_ Louis panted through a laugh as they climbed a second set of stairs. “ _If I have to climb any more stairs, I’m divorcing you_.”

Harry just laughed good-naturedly as they reached the top of the second set of stairs. Up here, it was much more empty. While the second floor had included some workers going in and out of doors, waiters balancing multiple trays, and maids running around like their head was chopped off, the third floor was perfectly peaceful. They couldn’t stop there, though. Spotting one more set of stairs right ahead, he looked to Louis. 

“One more?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Louis groaned, but smiled, the feeling of mischief seemingly catching up to him. “One more.”

Climbing up the last pair of stairs, they were met with a surprise at the top. Unlike the last two floors, which contained wide, open hallways with at least thirty different doors, the tallest floor was narrow and short, containing only one door. 

Curiously, Harry released Louis’ hand, approaching the lone door. Pressing his ear up against the wood, there was only silence. Turning the door handle slowly, it popped open easily with a soft click. 

Behind him, Louis shuffled his feet nervously. Harry turned to look at Louis, silently gesturing with his eyes. “Come on, then.”

Despite the bad feeling he had about being caught out at any minute now, Louis followed close behind him as he entered the room. “Are you sure about this?” his voice echoed around the vast room. But his voice got caught in his throat as he got a look at the full scene. 

One could call it a bedroom, except it was much more than that. It was the absolute epitome of luxury and beauty. Even at the late hour, the room seemed to glow. 

In the middle of the room sat a California king bed with lace curtains covering it, deep red in color. A large rug surrounded the ground around the bed, a nice black fluffy rug that complimented the colors of the bed well. While there were light sources around the room, they were not currently on because of the fairy lights strung all around the perimeter of the room, giving off a dream-like glow. Along with the lights, there was one more light source. From the doors of the balcony, the moon shined brightly, high up in the sky. 

Seemingly involuntarily, Louis found himself walking up to the glass door that separated the room from the balcony, somewhat dreamily. “How- what is this? How is it possible that we _just so happened_ to come across a room so beautiful and-” he turned to face Harry slowly. “Did- did you do this?”

Caught out, Harry couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that appeared on his face. “I don’t knoooooow…”

Louis turned around from the door, an unreadable expression on his face. He walked closer to Harry slowly, looking absolutely kissable-

“You absolute _arse_!” he exclaimed, punching Harry in the arm. 

Unexpecting the attack, Harry flinched back from the punch, mouth dropping open. “Wha- you don’t like it?”

“I love it!” Louis said exasperatedly, throwing his hands in the air. “That’s the problem! You’ve done all this and… you’re making it impossible to resist you. Like- like some prince charming! I hate it!”

Harry just laughed at him, taking his hand once again, opening the balcony doors. “Prepare to hate me even more. I’ve got one more surprise for you.”

The air was a pleasant kind of cool outside, feeling good on their pink faces, yet not cold enough to need an extra layer of clothes. If anything, the outside was even more beautiful, though it was in a more subtle way. 

This. This was why this location was the perfect spot. The scenery was breathtaking without Harry having to lift a finger. Out in the front of the building where they had arrived, there was a tall fountain that shot out water of different colors, adding more light to the dark evening. There were all different types of greenery and trees, but especially the willow tree, which had grown to become his favorite. Through the years of having to live in solitude in the woodlands, growing to appreciate the simplicity of nature became natural to them. 

Louis leaned against the railing, chin in hand. He looked straight out of a fairytale; a princess waiting for her true love. Harry admired Lous’ profile from the side. Now was a more perfect time than ever. 

“Louis,” Harry took Louis’ hand gently. Louis looked at him patiently with love in his eyes. “The first time I imagined this happening… it was 1795 and the biggest thing I could do to impress you was get cheese from town. Now, thankfully, our lives aren’t so sad, but. The way I look at you has never changed. From the way our courting has been going, I hope you feel the same and that you’ve found a way to forgive me, somehow. Even if you haven’t, I’d like to spend the whole rest of eternity making it up to you, if that’s alright. 

“Louis Tomlinson,” Harry sunk to one knee, making Louis’ mouth drop open “Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Harry was hardly able to finish his question before Louis was yanking Harry up to his feet to tug him into a passionate kiss. Despite his surprise at such a rapid change of scene, Harry reciprocated the loving gesture before pulling back. 

“So… is that a yes?”

Louis scoffed, but there was no malice behind it. “Of course, you dork. We didn't go through this whole courting process for nothing. Where’s my ring?” Louis jumped on the balls of his feet excitedly. “I didn’t knock it out of your hands when I attacked you, did I?” his face fell slightly in panic. 

“Nice to know we agree that you attacked me,” Harry chuckled as he dug through his pocket where he had quickly stuffed it when Louis reacted. “Here it is,” he said softly as he retrieved it, opening it and handing it over to Louis so he could inspect it to his desire. “What do you think?” he asked nervously. 

“It’s beautiful,” Louis said, awestruck, “but. You know I would have said yes if you proposed with a ring pop, right?”

“ _Now_ you tell me?” Harry joked. 

As unpredictable as ever, Louis disregarded the comment, standing up on his tip-toes to press his lips to Harry’s own. Down in multiple stories below, the party was still going on strong, echoing up and down the stairs. That was about the last thing on Louis’ mind, however. 

“How about,” Louis exhaled, parting their lips, “we put that bed to good use?”

Harry’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he quickly composed himself. Of course, he had been slightly expecting this. If he hadn’t he wouldn't have had a luxurious bedroom with a large bed ready for their taking, but it was still a shock that this was about to happen after all this time. He couldn’t hesitate for too long, though; he wanted this and didn’t want to send Louis the wrong message. 

Deciding actions spoke louder than words, Harry picked Louis up bridal style, heading back inside. 

“Harry!” Louis screeched in a mixture of delight and shock. 

“I’m carrying you through the threshold,” Harry explained, walking dramatically through the balcony doors to the bed. 

After ceremoniously dumping Louis on the bed, Harry climbed in after him. Looking over at Louis, he was clearly enthusiastic about the happenings considering he was foregoing taking care of his fancy clothes that must have taken him hours to iron, ripping his blazer off from his shoulders and struggling to take his white button up shirt off from over his head. 

Feeding off of Louis’ enthusiasm, Harry began tearing off his clothes in the same fervor, suddenly not caring about how they will look when they leave the next morning. 

“Please tell me you have the stuff this time,” Louis teased while kicking off his perfectly shined shoes. 

“You forget to be prepared one time and never hear the end of it…” Harry commented casually while tugging off his pants. 

“You put the lube right next to the ring in your pocket? How romantic, I’m swooning.”

They were both now down to their boxers, Harry leaning above Louis with one hand resting above his head. 

“What can I say? I knew you’d put out.”

Louis growled playfully at that, slapping Harry lightly on the chest. “Shut up and take your dick out.”

“Tell me what to do again and I’ll spank you.” Nonetheless, Harry inched his boxers down until his ten inch cock bounced out. 

“Mmm it’s smaller than I remember,” Louis breathed, though his voice had taken on a more submissive tone. 

“I’ll show you small…” Harry threatened lowly, breaking open the lube and tugging Louis’ boxers off. 

Just as beautiful as he had remembered - Louis’ small four-inch penis popped out of his shorts, already hard. Harry _cooed_ at the sight, enamored with the small thing. 

Louis blushed, embarrassed, though he tried to play it off. “Why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Harry hummed thoughtfully, pretending to think about it. “Maybe next time. Right now, I think I’d much rather…” 

Without further ado, Harry sucked Louis’ small penis into his mouth with ease, able to fit the whole thing in his mouth. 

Louis moaned at the pleasure coursing through his body, while Harry reveled in the sounds Louis was making. It had been far too long since he had been allowed to hear those sounds, for sure. 

Deciding to add to the fun, Harry lifted his head, slicking his fingers up. Without so much as a warning, Harry stuck one thick finger inside Louis, causing him to make a sort of gasping moan of surprise. 

“You absolute tosser,” Louis managed to groan out. 

“I think I know something that’ll shut you up for good,” Harry said idly, sticking three of his fingers down Louis’ throat while adding a second finger to Louis’ hole. 

While Louis’ groaned around Harry’s fingers, Harry hummed thoughtfully while adding a third finger to his hole. “If I’ve gotten smaller, you’ve gotten less tight. Been whoring around, have you?”

“ _Suck my dick_ ,” Louis gargled through Harry’s fingers, though it was hard to tell. 

“Maybe next time,” Harry repeated, grinning.

Despite all the holes that Harry was currently taking up, Louis grew impatient, tugging on Harry’s hair lightly. 

“What’s that, bub?” Harry asked, taking his fingers out of all Louis’ holes. “Am I not pleasing you good enough?”

Louis coughed weakly, mouth finally free. “I want your cock already, loser.”

“We’ll get there when we get there you impatient brat!”

Louis grinned wickedly, an idea coming over him. “I bet Luke would’ve already been fucking me by now. I probably would’ve already come once- no. Twice.”

Sure enough, Louis knew how to push Harry’s buttons. “Luke couldn’t tell his elbow from his ass,” he growled. 

“I don’t know,” Louis hummed slickly, “he sure showed me he had a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“Yeah?” Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Yeah,” Louis grinned. 

“Guess I’ll have to show you how a real man fucks then, huh?”

“Guess so,” Louis raised an eyebrow challengingly. 

Harry accepted the challenge in Louis’ eyes, pouring a considerable amount of lube on himself, slicking himself up. Louis licked his lips at the sight, practically frothing at the mouth. 

After Harry considered himself to be well prepped, he looked at Louis, feeling almost shy. Louis smiled shyly back before he decided he was tired of waiting. 

“Come on, big daddy. This hole isn’t gonna fill itself.”

Harry snorted, gaining his confidence back. “Damn right.”

That was the last thing Louis heard before Harry lined up his dick, pushing in slowly. All he was able to hear and feel after that moment was static, the feeling of being filled up so good it was hard to focus on anything else but the immense pleasure he was receiving. 

“Lou,” he vaguely heard Harry pant from above him, “are you alright? Can I move?”

Louis took a moment to inhale, exhale, scratching his nails lightly down Harry’s back before formulating a response. “That’s all you got? I thought there would be more.”

Taking that as a ‘yes’, Harry thought Louis deserved a bit of a punishment. With no warning, Harry drew his hips back so that just the tip was in, just to slam back in at full speed. Again. And again. And again. 

Unsuspecting of the brutal pace, Louis screamed in pleasure, unable to escape from the constant pressure, Harry now holding both of his hands above his head. 

Writhing against the covers, tossing his head to the side against the pillowcase, Louis exposed his neck to Harry, causing him to see a mark he somehow hadn’t noticed before. Only two small, faded marks against his skin sat the two bite marks that Harry had given him centuries ago in order to save his life. 

Feeling a sort of possession that he hadn’t felt in years, Harry abandoned all thoughts of rationality, biting into the faded mark, causing Louis to bleed through his neck once again. 

That seemed to be the breaking point for Louis. With a cry, Louis came between their chests, spent from the brutalness that had overtaken his body and having been bitten again. 

Blood sharing was a sacred thing; after having felt the taste of Louis in his mouth, being able to see his mark against Louis bright as day, it was too much for Harry to take. Harry came into Louis’ body, loving the feeling of taking part of the life out of Louis while also filling him up. 

Exhausted, Harry collapsed next to Louis on the bed, turning over to look at Louis’ face. Harry had so many questions - _was that okay? Do you need something to eat, something to drink? Do you want me to run you a bath?_

However, despite Harry’s fussing, it appeared from the soft, content noises coming from Louis that he had already fallen asleep. Smiling fondly, Harry figured all of that could wait until the morning. Cuddling up behind him, they ended their first night together. 

\- - -

The end of the night had dawned, the crowds thinning out until only those who were there to clean up after the party were there. However, Harry and Louis were not aware of this, trapped in their own bubble up in the tallest bedroom, where no one would find them until morning. 

It had to have been some time in the early morning, perhaps just past midnight, but Harry and Louis had been awake for a while now. One of Louis’ hands idly played with the open wound on his neck, while the other inspected the vague markings of Harry’s. Louis would be fine, for now; vampire mates sucking from each other was actually quite common. It was a whole new experience, though, when the person you’re mated with is the same person who transformed you. Louis felt like he was walking on air. 

“Did you ever find out who transformed you?”

Harry thought for a moment. “I guess technically Liam did, but. I never found out who killed me. They must have been too far gone to save.”

Louis sat up slightly against the pillows, face unreadable. “You know… it took me a while to come around, but. I’m glad you saved me, and I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time at first. I thought I wanted to live a normal life, but… if I had died that one night, I never would have met Zayn or Niall or Liam or… been able to live a real life that wasn’t spent in constant fear. In short… I forgive you.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. “You didn’t have to-”

“I know,” Louis interrupted softly. “I wanted to.”

And that was that.

\- - -

Summer had arrived. With the dawn of a new life beginning, Louis was packing all of his belongings into a box with the assistance of his roommate and long-time best friend, Zayn, and his soon-to-be roommate , Harry. 

A lull had occurred in the packing process, where everyone was lazing on the couch, waiting for the rented moving truck to arrive. Harry and Louis’ relationship had bloomed beautifully, Zayn even being able to stand being in his presence for more than five minutes. 

A sudden honking sound broke through the relaxed silence. One look through the window saw that the truck had arrived. 

“Rude,” Zayn mumbled under his breath. Nonetheless, he left out the door to greet them, Harry following close behind. 

At the realization that he was now alone, Louis sat up at his spot on the couch. He would have to be quick; they would start to wonder where he went if he took too long. 

Sneaking through his bedroom door, digging under his mattress, he retrieved a worn-out journal. Neither Zayn nor Harry knew that he still kept one, or that he had kept all of his old ones, all of which he had already packed. 

Grabbing a pen from his bedside table, he opened a new page, writing sloppily in his hurry.

**_June 1, 2020_ **

_It’s amazing how much can change in only a year, or in two hundred years. Today is my last day in this old apartment; Harry came over today and we’re packing all my things to take over to his place. Hopefully he’ll stop calling his house “too big” now that I’ll be there. I’ve never asked - I wonder if he wants kids? Maybe we should invest in a dog first._

Louis looked up at a call of his name. Though distant, you couldn’t mistake the worry in the voice. Louis began to write faster; he was _not_ about to get told off by Zayn later because he didn’t help in the moving process.

_The other day was amazing. In order to celebrate moving in together, we decided to visit the first place we lived together. Unfortunately, unlike us, the cabin didn’t survive and flourish. A storm must have taken it down or something; there were broken logs everywhere! We’ve made it our summer goal, along with getting married, of course, to rebuild it. We did it once, we can do it again, right?_

“Louis?” Harry asked again, closer this time, footsteps wandering. 

_Love, Louis (soon to be Styles ! :))_

Grinning, Louis stuffed the journal back under the mattress, hopping up to his feet. 

“Coming!”

The end 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you managed to get through this whole thing, thank you for reading and I love you! Once again, here's my socials: Tell me what you thought!
> 
> Twitter: @bottomloulou  
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